The Dichotomy of Family and Genetics
by Natarii-loves-Chocolate-milk
Summary: Naruto never though much about her own family; then she got one whether it was wanted or not. All of a sudden, she finds herself missing what she had never had, and what she had never missed before. SasuNaru FemNaru , slight GaaSaku, ShikaIno, KakaRin.
1. Sixteen Years

**THE DICHOTOMY OF FAMILY AND GENETICS**

**

* * *

**Naruto never though much about her own family; then she got one whether it was wanted or not. All of a sudden, she finds herself missing what she had never had, and what she had never missed before. SasuNaru (FemNaru), slight GaaSaku, ShikaIno, KakaRin, JiraTsu, MinaKushi, & YahiKonan.

* * *

**CHAPTER I**  
**~ SIXTEEN YEARS ~**

* * *

_I think I'll get out of here, to where I can run,  
Just as fast as I can, to the middle of nowhere,  
To the middle of my frustrated fears,  
And I swear! You're just like a pill;  
Instead of making me better, you keep making me ill._

_

* * *

_

Anko Mitarashi was the first to notice. Aside from dating her boyfriend's oldest brother, she worked with Naruto in the record store owned by Killer Bee (thank god the man was as dense as wood), and so they usually saw each other at least once a day.

Naruto had her own similar suspicions (she was occasionally naïve, but she was not stupid) but she was doing a very good job of ignoring them. Of course Anko, annoying meddling woman, felt it necessary to bring them to the front of her mind - which was really where they should have been in the first place.

"You sure you're eating properly spitfire? Or did you just eat Sakura's food again by accident?" she asked as Naruto picked herself up from the floor, raising a concerned eyebrow with the helping hand offered.

Really, when other people began to notice something wasn't right, she could hardly keep ignoring it herself could she? Naruto let the woman help pull her up before moving to the sink and splashing some water on her face; the cold temperature stung her skin, and reality began to drop like a stink bomb.

"I'm fine Anko, just a little tired is all," she smiled at the woman who stood in the doorway apprehensively; it was clear she didn't believe a word of the white lies coming out of her mouth, but she didn't press the matter.

"If you say so kid; there's a delivery coming in at seven that need to be put in the inventory" she shrugged before turning and heading back to the front of the shop.

That was one of the things Naruto liked about Anko - if you didn't want her help, she wouldn't press you. But if you did, shed more than lend a helping hand. Right now Naruto didn't want Anko's help (she hardly ever accepted anybody's help; why should she change now?) so the woman would not badger her.

And Naruto couldn't be more grateful.

* * *

Seated on edge of the bath in her boyfriend's home, Naruto pondered the mess her life had unwittingly become.

Naruto Uzumaki had always consider herself one of the normal ones; she wasn't _particularly_ popular, but she had a fair number of friends. She had grown up in a children's care home before moving into halfway-housing with Sakura, but her lack of a family was just one of those things she was used to.

She was generally considered loud and sometimes overbearing by strangers, but those comments usually became affectionate teases; they did not especially concern her. She had a bit of an adiction to ramen, gardening, and metal music (she especially loved ANBU), but that was just what she liked.

She didn't especially care about guys in general either; she had her boyfriend, and she was happily head over heels for Sasuke. Her burnt cadmium-red hair (forced into two ever-so-slightly mismatched bunches), Lapis eyes, and whisker tattoos drew a few raised eyebrows but she didn't really mind that.

Her figure was horribly reminiscent of a chopping board, but Sasuke liked her boobs all the same so that wasn't a problem either. She was not eccentrically intelligent, but had her areas of skill in the arts (she played at grade eight on the Saxophone, and her drawing skills were none too shabby either).

Yes, Naruto had considered herself one of the normal ones; no drugs, no violence, no crazy genetic diseases, no spectacularly failing classes, no abusive relationships to worry about. Nope, her life was pretty damn good and normal.

Or it was in the past tense. For all her normality, the disgusting, minuscule, vomit-pink _Plus-sign_ on the small white stick in her hand was not. It was as if it was mocking her, spitting on the nice life she'd built for herself.

Pregnant. Fucking Pregnant. All right, biologically this could be considered normal, but she was the pill, and she knew from experience that it had worked _before,_ So why wasn't it working _now?_

She was very thorough with this sort of thing; she had a little disc of the things in her school back, saxophone case, weekend bag, and there was even some over at Sasuke's house, in the top drawer of his dresser, kept out of sight by his boxers! She had marked her dosage dates on her calendar in he kitchen, and on the one that came with her music player, and the one in her phone just to be safe! She had never missed a dosage! Sure, contraception wasn't perfect but…

This was not what she wanted. Naruto did not want a child in her life; maybe that was a bit unfair… She did consider children in the future, but the notion didn't really appeal to her. She'd looked after the babies in the care home when she still lived there, and irritating just wasn't the word.

No, Naruto did not want a baby; The idea was stupid. Preposterous. Infuriating… and terrifying. And completely messed up! She glared back at the white stick in a manner learned from Sasuke, as if she could force the sickly pink _Plus_ to mutate into the refreshing cobalt _Minus_ she had wanted. And had expected. What in the name of hell was she supposed to do now?

A knock on the door and a familiar voice jolted her from her thoughts, and she hastily stuffed the stick and its packaging into the pocket of her jumper, zipping it away from view as the voice permeated through the door.

"Naruto, is everything all right? You've been in there for ten minuets..." Sasuke's mother, Mikoto, asked.

The concern in the woman's voice made her smile; she was like a mother to her. She didn't have a real family, but she had a family all the same - why did she need flesh and blood when she had people like Mikoto, Sakura, Gaara, and Sasuke?

Naruto opened the door, making certain to smile at the woman as she closed it behind her. Mikoto fixed her with a stern gaze, frowning as she placed a hand on her forehead.

"You look pale Naruto, are you sure you're not ill? You're not skipping meals are you?" she asked; Naruto could tell that was only the bare minimum of questions she had, and couldn't stop her chuckle.

"I'm fine, just a little tired from work is all" Naruto reassured her.

It wasn't even a lie really; Anko's sudden perceptiveness had been unusual and unsettling. Mikoto - however - frowned, believing her just as much as Anko had earlier in the day, but she said nothing.

"I don't believe a word of that, but I'll go alongside it for now; mark my words though, if you don't start to perk up I _will_ investigate" she sighed.

Naruto simply nodded in reply; arguing with Mikoto Uchiha went beyond the realm of stupidity and into the valley of the downright lunacy, with a short trip through the forest of foolhardy.

"Come on, Sasuke is going to come looking for a door to break if you don't get back downstairs" Mikoto smiled.

A grin broke onto Naruto's face; Sasuke was such a worry-wart. If he hadn't worried over her every time she disappeared or conducted _'dangerous'_ behaviour, she would have wondered if he had noticed she was… if he had noticed something was off.

Pushing her complications to the back of her mind for the moment, she followed Mikoto back downstairs for dessert, though she really would have preferred some more of the deep-fried tofu that had been on top the Udon they had just eaten.

* * *

Sasuke, despite what Naruto believed, was not simply worrying as he usually did; something had been unsettling her for a while, but ever since she had left her job for the night it seemed to have sky-rocketed.

What it was however, mystefied to him; his girlfriend was very stubborn, and when she wanted to keep something under the rug, it damn well stayed there. He'd noticed that she had been more prone to snapping and swearing lately, so whatever was bothering her must be fairly substantial. Especially today.

He gave her a surreptitious glance as he dug into his bowl of lemon ice; she was picking, barley even nibbling at the dessert she usually wolfed down. What on earth was wrong with her lately? He noticed the scrutinising look his mother was giving her and realised he wasn't the only one who had noticed something off.

After dessert - which Naruto did finish when she noticed the analytical gazes - he stood next to her in the kitchen, drying plates as she scrubbed others in the sink. She babbled away about some sort of usual nonsense, but he was more interested in the change in her appearance.

It was hardly noticeable, but the more he looked at her body the more he noticed little changes. Smell for example; she couldnt go anywhere near Itachi because, according to her, he stank of aftershave/cologne-overdose. That had been at least a foot away from him!

The most obvious change however, was the fatigue; he couldn't say much for during the day, since they went to different schools, but she was usually a bubble of kinetic energy when they met up. Lately he was kissing her goodnight at six pm.

That was just weird frankly. He usually had to fight to leave, or had to leave the flat she shared with sakura at four am just so he could get to his own home and to his own school in the morning - something was screaming at him, and he couldn't for the life of him figure it out.

His worry was proven well founded as he pondered; Naruto placed a hand to her head, covering her eyes and leaning over the sink. He was about to ask if something was wrong when her free hand whitened its knuckles around the edge of the sink and she swayed on the spot.

Instinctively, his arm reached out and held her up, catching round her back and his hand resting just beneath her (almost non-existent) breasts. Before he could ask what was wrong, he noticed something else odd.

"Did your boobs get bigger?" he asked bluntly, for it was the only way he really could ask.

Why hadn't he noticed that before now? He'd seen them enough to know for a fact that they were not usually as… as _discernible_ as they were now. Where the hell had they come from? They hadn't been there last week had they? He hadn't noticed if they had!

"I don't know; do they look bigger?" she asked, looking down at her chest in not surprise but alarm.

Why should she be alarmed? She was always complaining that she didn't have any breasts! He'd disagree, since they were there - just not _noticeably_ - and he honestly preferred them that way; Naruto, however, simply hated her _'board'_ figure. She should be over the moon! Why was she worrying?

"They stick out more" he stated just as bluntly, watching the panic rise on her face.  
"Wow; I didn't notice at all" she replied, staring down at the new bumps with an unreadable expression.

Oh yes, she was definitely hiding something, he was certain of that now. He removed his arm - certain she was now stable on her feet. Before going back to the drying of the dishes, he gave one of the new additions a light poke, checking to make certain they were real.

He didn't expect Naruto's reaction at all; she gave a loud yelp and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him with unusual viciousness.

"That hurt! Don't poke me like that moron!" she snapped.

He was baffled; he'd barley touched her! There was simply no reason for such a vehement reaction unless she had some sort of pain inducing disease… God, he hoped not. Cancer horror stories flooded his mind; did breast cancer hurt?

She turned back to the dishes brusquely, muttering to herself about insensitive boyfriends and other words of discontent. He stood waiting for the washed plates to pile up, and gave her body another scan, checking for anything he'd missed.

There didn't seem to be anything else out of the ordinary; everything from the top of her red head to her feet seemed normal apart from the changes he had already noticed. His eyes stopped on a white pencil-like thing sticking out of her pocket.

"What's that?" he asked, nodding to the object when she looked up from the dishes.

She looked at her pocket and her eyes burned with anger and once again alarm, but it was the sheer terror on her face that unsettled him; Naruto stuffed the thing back within the confines of the zipped fabric it had been escaping from, muttering a short reply as she did: "Its nothing."

He could tell from the tone in her voice that any more questions would be a bad idea, and finally resumed the drying of the dishes. He knew he should push the matter, but the terror on her face halted his tongue.

* * *

Naruto was seated on her sofa next to her pink haired flat mate with one the first genuine content expression to grace her face for a few weeks. Two weeks after the disgusting and unwanted revelation, Naruto had found her solution.

She didn't really know why she hadn't thought of it immediately, but that did not concern her much. She had already gotten the approval required from two doctors, her usual doctor and a new woman – Nami-whatsit, her name was.

Her situational factors as an orphan in social housing had been a primary factor, but pregnancies took a toll on the body, and consent had been given with the reasoning it could be harmful to her - Naruto was not short, but she was lithe and had almost no unnecessary body fat. Her structure was something that could have made the condition risky at her age.

She had made her appointment at the hospital, and in a few hours, the little glob of unwanted DNA that had taken up residence in her womb would be gone. End of story, end of panic, she would have her normality back again.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket; Sasuke again. She had stayed in today because of the procedure she was to take; she didn't know the routine for abortion prep, so she was sticking to the usual hospital rules of no foods or liquids and plenty of rest. The unfortunate backlash was that Sasuke was getting a little paranoid.

A glance at the clock told her it was time to leave, and it was with a brief excuse to Sakura of needing milk (she had poured the milk down the sink that morning for this very reason) that she closed the door of the flat behind her.

* * *

Sakura frowned as Naruto shut the door behind her; she knew the red-head almost as well as Gaara, having grown up in the same care home for the majority of her life, and she knew there was something off.

She had a pretty good idea as to what was so off too; the absence of some monthly habits (like the usual ice-cream binge) and decrease of the usual bathroom rubbish were definitely hints, but Sakura was going to cash her cheques just yet.

She knew how obsessive Naruto was with contraceptives (if it wasn't such a serious matter it would be funny), so it would have to be a disastrous miracle. Not just in the obvious context, but for _Naruto_ too.

Naruto and family didn't mix well, at least not biologically anyway. She had no desire for a family of any kind, if her reactions when they drew babysitting duty in the care home were any indication.

Sakura easily understood that, having faced the same problems herself to a lesser degree; her father was an utter blank – she couldn't recall having one – but her mother had died when she was five. However, she still had her elder sister Tayuya, and she had not been completely raised by the social services – she could even recall brief memories of her mother with some effort.

The same could not be said of Naruto though; the fiery girl didn't know what a real family was like. She didn't understand how they functioned; she could create a likeness easily enough, but having grown up without the real thing it was a foreign concept. Which was why Sakura was certain that if, god forbid, Naruto was pregnant her first decision would be to get approval for an abortion, and therein lay her worry.

The door opened, and Sakura angled her head over the back of the sofa to see Sasuke stepping through the door; she didn't bat an eyelash. Sasuke had been given a key by Naruto the same way she had given one to Gaara (he was only a floor below them, but that wasn't the point).

"You just missed her, she went out to Tazuna's to get some milk" Sakura informed him apologetically.

He shrugged his shoulders and flopped down onto the sofa his girlfriend had been seated on perhaps thirty minuets previously. She could tell by his rigid posture that something was bothering him immediately, and this time there was no question she would cash her cheques on Naruto.

"Has Naruto been… off lately?" he asked quietly, his eyes inattentively glued to the soap she was watching.  
"You'll have to specify" Sakura replied uncertainly.

He frowned for a moment in thought.  
"It's not much but she keeps getting woozy. She's twitchy, snappish… it's weird" he stated.

Sakura frowned.

"Oh, and her boobs just grew overnight; she should have been dancing but she completely freaked when I pointed it out" he added.

Sakura didn't know whether to congratulate him for picking up on the signs most men were completely oblivious to, or whack him one for remembering the most information about Naruto's breasts.

"I don't know about _that,_ but Tayuya said she almost passed out during PE the other day…"

Sakura hesitated with any more information; she was certain that Sasuke would make connections to her strange behaviour eventually, but Naruto obviously wanted to keep her yet-to-be confirmed… condition to herself. Sakura really didn't think she was doing herself a favour by doing that…

A blaring ring from the phone interrupted her, and she got up to check the number; if there was no caller id, or the number was unrecognisable it was never answered. With all the sellers, the best thing to do was pick up if the caller decided to leave a message or ring them back.

Sakura recognised the area code, but nothing else, so she stood by the phone as it continued to ring and waited to see if the caller was desperate enough to leave a message instead. To say she was not disappointed would be a misconception; horrified would have been a better adjective.

"_Hello, this is Dr Yugito Nii from the Konoha General Prenatal Department for Naruto Uzumaki; I'm calling to confirm your appointment at the abotrion clinic. There were some errors by the general staff, and I wanted to discuss the possibility of a later appoint-"_

Sakura gaped at the phone; she had her suspicions yes, but they were _suspicions_! To actually hear medical confirmation that her best friend was not only pregnant, but planning on aborting the child was... very, _very _different.

It was only the hiss of disbelief from Sasuke that reminded her he was in the room. Of course, by the time she realised that he had overheard the conversation too, he had dashed from the room and out of the door before she had a chance to get a word in edgeways.

"I guess I don't have to tell him then..." she mused before flopping face down on to the sofa; really, even when Naruto was on the other side of town she could cause chaos.

* * *

Sasuke's temper was well known; he didn't loose it often, but when he did you hoped to god you were not on the receiving end. If you were, you ran for cover and prayed god would have mercy on your soul (because Sasuke certainly wouldn't).

One important point about Sasuke's temper was that he had never truly lost it when Naruto played into the equation. Oh, they had their moments - one of those had been after a forgotten argument which had resulted in the Sai fiasco- but he had never truly lost his temper with her.

At that moment, as he sat on the bus to the general hospital however, Sasuke was forcing a good deal of self control over himself. If he didn't, he was unsure as to what would happen when he caught up to his stupid, rash, errant red-headed girlfriend.

All right, so maybe she wasn't being stupid with the decision, but didn't he get the option to put some input into this? Chances were he would be all for abortion – the idea of being a teenage father was not an appealing one – but that wasn't the point; this was half his responsibility damn it!

Did she not trust him or something? Was that the reason she had gone behind his back? Somehow he felt he wasn't taking this quite the way he should have; he should have been running for the hills the moment the doctor said the word 'prenatal', but for some reason he was taking more offence to the fact Naruto had hidden this form him.

How had she got pregnant anyway? He'd seen her take those pills enough times to know she was very vigilant with their dosage. He also knew they worked – there had been at least three incidences where he'd either forgotten, been out of condoms, or too drunk to care, and she hadn't become pregnant then! So how?

The bus began to slow as it approached the stop directly outside the hospital; it wasn't directly in front of the entrance, that was for the ambulances, but it was close enough. Giving a quick thanks to the wizened bus driver as he did, he darted from the bus towards the double doors.

To be honest, he didn't really have much of a plan or any thought as to what he would say to Naruto when he finally caught up with her – he just hoped he didn't blow his mouth off as he usually did when he was mad. After a quick verification with the receptionist with the location of the prenatal department, he zipped down the directed corridor towards the lifts.

In the lift, he had a few moments to clam down, and seriously consider the situation he and Naruto found themselves in; abortion? The more he thought about it, the oddly less appealing it seemed. It was...

Ending a life just like that? It didn't sit well with him.

He knew that, logically, it was the best option for everyone; it was a pity logic was hardly ever taken into account for the majority of life decisions. Things like careers, families, it was always what was desired, enjoyed, liked, it was all emotion; It was one of those Dionysian things that played havoc with logic.

Logically, abortion was the right move; emotionally, abortion turned his stomach. The doors opened and he stepped out of the metallic box, taking more care as he walked through the hallways this time. Looking around made him nervous – why did there have to be so many... _Pregnant_ _People_ walking around?

A loud voice emerged from one closed room as nothing but pain and profanities, and Sasuke began to contemplate turning his tail and going back home.

He didn't know how to describe it all; surreal or scary? He settled on both as he followed a sign down another corridor in direction of the abortion clinic. It took several minuets to realise what he was seeing at the end of the stark white hallway, but it completely unnerved him when he did.

Naruto; she was seated on one of the benches in the hallway; head leant over onto her knees. A doctor with the biggest breasts Sasuke had ever seen, and lowly-fastened pale blonde bunches crouched in front of her, seemingly giving instructions; The key words were _'deep breaths'_ and _'calm'_.

Previous panic aside, he walked up to the two women with trepidation; he wasn't certain his presence would be welcome yet... he was no doctor, but he'd seen panic attacks before. Naruto didn't seem to even notice him, but the blonde woman gave him a significant glance – the trouble was deciphering what kind of look it was.

Was he supposed to leave or try cheering her up? He'd never equated Naruto and panic attacks together, but that was what he was faced with. The doctor answered his question for him.

"Looks like you have the neighbourhood watch out for you; go home, and get some rest. If you need anything else feel free to come back," she said soothingly, nodding her head in his direction.

Naruto raised her head an inch to repeat the action, and jerked back to an upright position immediately. She stared for a few moments, and then blinked to check she was not hallucinating; she bit her lip.

"Well, I've got work to do, and you look to be in safe hands; take care of yourself kid" the doctor informed the red-head, standing up and straightening out her trouser suit and lab coat.

Naruto watched her leave instead of meeting his gaze, not moving from the bench. Sighing to himself, he slumped down in the seat next to her, watching the hospital traffic pass them by. Her fingers tugged and twirled the fire-red strands atop her head – a rare sighting of her most strenuous nervous habit.

"How did you find me?" she asked all of a sudden, tucking her knees up under her chin.

The question caught him off guard for a few seconds, he had assumed he would have had to force some sort of conversation out of her; apparently he was wrong.

"I was worried so I went to your place; some Yugito woman left a message" he told her with quiet bluntness.

Naruto made no effort to reply.

"Why didn't you _say_ something?" he asked, getting right to the point; there was no point in beating about the bush with the matter.  
"You didn't need to know. I didn't want It, and I didn't expect you to jump with joy either, so..."

She left the obvious conclusion hanging in the air.

"That's not the point! I was worried sick Naruto – you've been acting weird for well over a month now... God, this is just like with Sai! You should have said something to someone, _anyone!_" he snapped, his voice barley rising in pitch.

She turned to face him for the first time; he could see the wet tracks that leaked from her eyes, betraying panic, fear, and god know what else. If this had made her so upset then why had she gone through with it? By herself no less?

"I know that! I didn't mean... I don't... I couldn't do it! That Thing is still...! I just couldn't all right?" she stated, answering his question with one answered he would not have expected; he had believed that, while she might not have liked the idea, she would have forced herself through it anyway.

"I went in and everything Sasuke; I was sitting on that stupid bed with no problems and then they started explaining and… I don't want It! I don't! But the idea of sucking It out just… I don't understand why I just couldn't get rid of It and be done! I really don't, but I can't!"

She had exploded, waving her arms for emphasis and tugging at the taught roots of her dark, ember-coloured hair, angry tears bursting from their ducts and splashing on her face. He was stunned, not by her decision or her actions accompanying her statement, but by the feeling of relief that flooded his gut. He'd been perfectly fine with the decision itself a few moments ago!

Naruto was right; he did not want the tiny cluster of genes still growing inside her; not because he didn't want children, but simply because they were too young to take care of a baby! Naruto had turned sixteen only three months ago, and his seventeenth was still six months off.

So why was he so relieved? He had no problems with abortion at all; if the situation was desperate – like _theirs_, he reminded himself – then there was nothing wrong with it. He might not like it, but he understood it.

Understanding it as he did, he should understand this too, but for some god forsaken reason he was glad the Thing was still alive. It made absolutely no sense.

"I don't really care if you decide to do anything or not Sasuke; in fact, you'd be better off ignoring this as best you can, but I can't go back in there. I don't want this Thing, but I can't kill it either" she informed him.

Naruto stood up, pulling her thick yellow duffel jacket on and a woolly blue hat. He caught the notion that she was leaving, and stood up from the seat to follow her.

He didn't really know what to make of this; her last statement irritated him. He knew she wasn't implying that he would want nothing to do with the... Nothing to do with It, simply suggesting the sensible option, but...

What was she going to do? School was a hell no for at least four months in the future, and that meant her job at the record shop was vetoed as well. How did she plan to get through all this? To deal with this unwanted addition?

No, if he really thought about it, she probably didn't have a plan for this. She'd come her expecting to be leaving gene-glob free, not like this, not still supporting another unwanted life. She had no idea what she would do.

He took a grasp of her hand and felt it shaking; she was terrified, absolutely terrified. He felt like it was contagious; he'd been shockingly relieved but that didn't mean he wanted the Thing, as Naruto referred to the tiny being. No sixteen-year-old in their right mind would.

But they were in this situation. Yes, he would ignore Naruto and involve himself with It because he was not a complete asshole; he held just as much responsibility for this as Naruto did, it took two to tango, and without his contribution, Naruto's ovaries had been pretty safe.

That and he simply couldn't trust the idiot to look after herself properly; he knew Sakura, Gaara, and that social worker Iruka would help her out, and he knew it was irrational, but he didn't really trust them with her either...

He'd completely forgotten about Gaara and Iruka. He was going to die; Iruka had never liked him, and Gaara was the manic-protective type; they would kill him, chew up his bones, spit them out, and turn them to cinders with a flame-thrower.

Oh crap.

* * *

"I'm Pregnant."

Silence reigned supreme throughout the apartment; Naruto's social worker stared at her dumbly from his seat at the table, and beside him Gaara seemed to have turned into a wooden statue.

"You're _what?_"

Iruka choked on his tea at the news. Gaara said nothing, but the terror-inducing furrow in his brows betrayed his emotions for him; Naruto sincerely hoped her boyfriend had improved his running abilities since primary school, because the matching expression on Iruka's face told her he was going to doing a lot of it in the future.

"I don't believe I stuttered Iruka" she replied not raising an eyebrow at the man's volatile outburst, she was long since used to them.

"You're joking right? _Please_ tell me this is just a horrible joke..."

He asked, pleadingly, expectantly waiting for the usual smug grin that followed her pranks. He groaned and his head hung when there was no such reassurance.

"Who's the _father?"_

Naruto spluttered in objection.

"Sasuke! Who else would it be? I don't sleep with random men Iruka, what on earth made you think it would be someone else?" the fire-headed girl raged, slamming her hands onto the table-top for emphasis.

"I never said _that,_ I was just hoping you had a new boyfriend, or you were dating Sai again; I liked Sai," Iruka clarified; his clarification did nothing to improve her irritation.  
"That's because you won't take the time to say more than two words to Sasuke!" she snapped, sitting back down in her own seat and crossing her arms grumpily.

She was never going to get past Sai was she? It had been a stupid mistake, but Iruka seemed convinced that it was something else. She had been going through a bad patch with Sasuke, yet Iruka refused to see it for what it had been - rebound.

Really, why did Iruka have to come by today of all days? Why couldn't he have just waited till his appointed visit? Why couldn't her _beloved_ room mate have kept her nose to herself? Sakura just had to go and tell him she had _'something really important'_ to tell him!

Naruto hadn't been planning on telling Iruka just yet – she barley had a handle on this herself! - but once he'd heard that, he wouldn't take know for an answer! Naruto gave her best friend, who sat beside her with a smug look on her face, an evil-eye that put Sasuke's to shame.

"Naruto, do you know what this means? I thought you were more responsible that this! I'd expect this from Tayuya or Zaku, but not from _you!_ Do you honestly believe that..."  
"That's my sister you're talking about Iruka," Sakura informed him without venom.

Iruka ignored her, and Naruto groaned inwardly as the social worker started in on the lecture Naruto had known was coming.

She knew her life was likely up the spout already! She didn't need to be told the obvious! She'd hardly planned on This! She'd done almost everything short of a hysterectomy to avoid it! She had no clue what she was going to do now!

He didn't have to tell her that her life was rather ruined; she knew that without his help, she was the one suffering from the physical evidence after all! Seriously, the boob pain had to stop. _Soon. _Not only was it painful, but it was a nagging reminder that every word that came out of her social worker's mouth was the unrivalled truth; her life was officially a screwed up mess.

Iruka droned on and on about _'facing the consequences'_ and _'inability to listen'_ and _'being irresponsible'_, and Naruto seriously began to contemplate doing a bunk on the man and staying with Tayuya for the night.

Gaara's bloodthirsty twitching was doing nothing abate her irritation.

* * *

Sasuke sat through his evening meal with fluid roboticism; he and Naruto had agreed that his parents should be told as soon as possible, along with Iruka when he came by for his routine check-up, but that was easier said than done.

"Is something wrong Sasuke?" Itachi asked.

Sasuke swore internally; damn Itachi and his perceptive looks.

"Uh, yeah, you could say that..." he replied dumbly.

The unusually frank answer, lacking his usual stubborn denials, was all that was required for his parents to stop eating and take notice. His mother's gaze was the worst; it was like she already knew and was just waiting for him to spit out the terrifying words.

"Well?" his father prompted.

Oh, well. No point in drawing it out. They were going to find out sooner or later; might as well get it over with.

"Naruto's pregnant" he blurted calmly.  
"Sasuke, this is no time for jokes" Itachi reprimanded, after a very long pause.

"...I wasn't joking;_ Naruto. Is. Pregnant. _Bun in the oven, knocked up, gravid, expecting, take your pick; any one works as well as the other"Sasuke informed him.

Itachi began to splutter, and Sasuke turned his gaze to his parents. His mother had a look of resignation on her face, as if something had been too much to hope for, and was leaning on her elbows, massaging her temples.

His father was looking at him as if he had grown two heads, and Sasuke thanked the gods that Obito had moved in with Anko; had he been present, this would probably have turned out into more of a mess than it already was.

"Whose _is_ it? Is it that _Sai_ boy's?" Fugaku asked, looking shocked, and angry.

Sasuke looked at his father incredulously, wondering if this was his father's (god forbid) idea of a joke. The sincere look on his progenitor's face told him that no, Fugaku was not joking. Honestly, they had broken up for two months... All right, so it had been a bit more complicated than that.

A lot more complicated than that actually, but that was besides the point. It had been sorted out eventually; Sai was not a factor in this.

"_Mine_, obviously; I'm not having this conversation for the _fun_ of it dad"  
"...You've had _sex?_" his father asked, looking more shocked by the physical implication of the news rather than the news itself.

His mother gave her husband a withering look, and Itachi's choking may have been due to laughter rather than shock; Sasuke was quite sure how he was supposed to reply to that, but he did try: "That's _not _the point."

"Well, I guess that explains a few things" his mother mumbled to herself, gaining raised eyebrows that were not answered from the males in the room.

"How long?" she mother asked.  
"I don't know, I only found out yesterday, and that was pure fluke in and of itself" he replied, wondering how thing would have turned out had he not heard that message.

"Fluke?" Itachi asked._  
_"I heard a doctor leave a message on her answering machine yesterday; she _tried_ to get an abortion, but..."  
"She couldn't" Mikoto finished.

"She had a _panic attack," _he told her quietly; he still couldn't shake that from his mind.  
"What do you plan to do?" his father asked; he seemed to have recovered from his momentary shock.

Sasuke presumed he was asking if they wanted to keep the Thing or not, and if not, what they were going to do with It when It did arrive.

"I don't know, Naruto doesn't want it, and I can't say I'm enthusiastic either, but I don't really know _what_ the options are. I've never had to think about them before" he confessed; He didn't miss the frowns on his parent's faces, but he chose to ignore them.

"What about adoption?" Itachi asked.

Sasuke was glad his family were so level headed; matters such as this could be given proper discussion without the screaming and lectures he knew Naruto would get from Iruka when she told him.

"I don't know, but Iruka will probab-"  
"_No_" his father stated, interrupting abruptly.

Sasuke gave his father a puzzled look that was matched by his brother; his mother gave a simple nod of his head, silently agreeing with her husband.

"I don't see another option Father; if Naruto doesn't want the child then there's not really much else they can do – since abortion is already vetoed. Giving the child up for adoption is the best way to go," Itachi frowned, and Sasuke nodded his agreement.

Fugaku and Mikoto gave them both an indecipherable look, but said nothing.

* * *

Naruto flushed the toiled as she stood up, moving from the stall to the sinks that line the wall of the girls' toilets. It had been a week since her failed attempt at abortion, and this was her first experience with morning sickness.

She been under the impression it occurred earlier in the morning, but she had never left art so quickly in her life. She hoped to god it wouldn't keep happening at this time of the morning; she knew she'd have to leave school eventually, but that didn't mean she wanted to be the butt of the gossip _just_ yet.

Footsteps behind her told her she was not alone, and a glance in the mirror showed Tayuya's reflection; another of Iruka's charges, Tayuya was just as brash as Naruto, but didn't bother with the effort Naruto took to suppress some of her coarser language.

"What the hell happened to you? Deidara almost had a fucking heart attack when you ran out like that!" she demanded, handing the redhead a few of the paper towels from the dispenser.

"I'm fine, just threw up is all..." Naruto replied in an offhand manner; her thoughts were too full of her first vomiting experience.  
"What? Why? You pregnant or something?" the vibrant-pink haired girl asked with her typical brand of bluntness.

Since when did Naruto get sick? Tayuya had been roommates with Naruto back in the orphanage, and she had know Naruto long enough to know that she had never caught so much as a cold in her life. She had the immune system of Wolverine. Illnes didnt even know Naruto's name.

Her only thought was that Naruto had caught some fatal disease; the idea her friend was pregnant was even more ridiculous – Naruto guzzled those pills like they were vitamin supplements.

"A little bit, you got that stuff for indigestion with you?" Naruto asked.

Her stomach was not happy, and maybe giving her digestion a boost would encourage her breakfast to hurry up and vacate her stomach, and thus discourage any more vomiting. Short of a proper stomach settling concoction, Tayuya's indigestion meds would have to do.

"Yeah, course I do... Wait, are you _serious?_ How in the fuck did you manage that?"

Tayuya's eyebrows raised a little in surprise, then widened when she realised her offhand joke was not an offhand joke, then calmed down again. Naruto felt glad to be around her – nothing seemed to worry Tayuya, and it was a welcome relief from the reactions of Sakura and Sasuke (never mind _Iruka's_).

"The usual way I'd imagine; so do you have that digestion stuff?" Naruto asked, heading over to the exit.  
"Sure, sure, it's in my bag; don't have a cow girl..." Tayuya replied.

She was holding open the door and rolling her eyes – god she loved Tayuya, she was so blasé about everything.

"I'm not going to have a cow – didn't you listen when Iruka gave us the Sex-Ed lecture?" Naruto asked jokingly as she headed back down the hallway.  
"I could say the same to you"

"Bitch" Naruto stuck out her tongue at the girl.  
"Love you too honey" the fuchsia haired girl replied with a laugh as Naruto stepped back into the art room.

Deidara paid no heed to their entry other that a brief glance before turning back to lecturing some poor sap on his sketching technique. Settling back in front of her easel, Naruto resumed her chalk-and-charcoal sketch.

As she pressed the burnt stick onto the paper, all of a sudden it occurred to her that, in just months, she'd have a kid. Snap, out of the blue, it hit her just like that.

The relaxed, albeit worried, attitude she'd had only moments ago completely shattered; was it because the thing would actually exist past a few weeks of suspicion now? Because she had physical evidence that it resided in her, leeching off of her like a little parasite?

The charcoal in her hand snapped, creating a large, dusty-black smudge on what had been a good picture; holy shit, damn, fuckerey and crap! She was really pregnant wasn't she? She was going to turn into a whale, a waddling whale with back pain, heartburn, and incessant peeing needs for months on end before, before...

"Oh god..." she whispered, staring at the messy smudge on her pristine picture, at the black stains on her fingers, before cupping her hand to her mouth.

Realising she wouldn't reach the bathroom in time, she dashed for one of the sinks that came with the room; she was lucky they had large drains for washing away clay and clumps of paint, or the smell would have been awful.

"For god's sake Naruto, if you're _that_ sick then go to the bloody nurse's office! Better yet go home, yeah!" Deidara yelled, though he did look a little worried behind his irritation.

The blonde man yelled orders for Sai (her bench mate and old rebound) to take her down to Kabuto's office. Naruto felt herself being led from the room by the dark haired boy, but little else other than the two twin nauseas lodging in her gut.

* * *

_**I'm not putting a lemon in this, but the subject is nothing like my other stories of the same type, so I put the level up. Naruto's music grade is based of of the UK system, and is the level required for studying at music college. Naruto was blonde originally, but it works out better that she has Kushina's hair here, besides, its a nice change. Boy-Naruto looks like Minato, so Girl-Naruto looks like her Mama.**_

_**I'm going to say right now that I have no reason to believe that anyone who grew up in the foster system is as emotionally stunted Naruto is here - I'm sure anyone reading has had a perfectly normal life otherwise. Please don't kill me - plot demands it, or there would be no story later on, and it'll pass. Eventually.**_

_**I use an English vocabulary; I will not use American English unless it sneaks in without my notice, so bear with spellings like 'colour' if you are American; they may be wrong to you, but they aren't to me. I have been referring to a programme that aired in the UK on Channel 4 some time ago called 'One Born Every Minuet', Wikipedia, and knowledge from my own mother in this - well, some bits. I drew a line with the gross stuff - so hopefully there has been thorough research (which makes a change from my other stories).**_

_**Biological corrections are welcome since I've never studied Biology, and anyone who uses Brittish dictionaries is welcome to criticse my spelling. No flames, and no narking about my lack of imagination concerning new plots - I like family stories. Sasuke seems horribly out of charecter to me, but I've done my best to keep him moody-ish. Anything else is free game.**_

_**Hope you liked it.  
Nat :) **_


	2. Nine Months

**THE DICHOTOMY OF ****FAMILY AND GENETICS**

**

* * *

**

Naruto never though much about her own family; then she got one whether it was wanted or not. All of a sudden, she finds herself missing what she had never had, and what she had never missed, before. SasuNaru (FemNaru), slight GaaSaku, ShikaIno, KakaRin, JiraTsu, MinaKushi, & YahiKonan.

* * *

**CHAPTER II  
~ NINE MONTHS ~**

**

* * *

**

_Mama never told me how to love,  
Daddy never told how to feel.  
Mama never told me how to touch,  
Daddy showed me how to heal.  
How do you love someone  
without tripping on the past?_

_

* * *

_

As she sat waiting in the hospital for what would be the first of many sono-whatsits and medical check ups, Naruto mulled over her current situation.

When Sasuke brought up Itachi's idea of adoption, she could grudgingly admit her fist instinct was to flat out refuse, but relief drowned the feeling almost as quickly as it had come; the smudge of her life felt more distinctive.

Out of curiosity – she reassured herself – she asked Iruka what the option would entail. She allowed some relief that It would not be spending years in a children's home, or social-service owned halfway-flats like her current residence; instead It would be taken by parents who couldn't conceive themselves, and would grow up far better than she had family-wise.

School was another matter; unlike the school Sasuke attended, Naruto's school was pretty restrictive for a local comprehensive. The principal, a grouch old man with one arm and one eye, was very explicit with his opinion when she had informed him of her situation, as was required.

If she wanted to come back when It was born, and he was very quick to mention that there would be a heated debate as to whether she would be wanted back, then she would not only have to maintain her grades, but improve them outside the school itself once she reached the second trimester (or when It began to show).

Naruto had no specific goals in mind, but she had been considering going on to study art or one of her other interests at college. The notion of possibly being expelled was daunting; of course Orochimaru, her Sax tutor, had no qualms with continuing to teach her outside of school, but she still wanted to graduate.

That being said, Orochimaru was significantly more open-minded than Principal bloody Shimura; apparently he had another student her age with the same predicament, so that may have been an influence on his thought process.

Her name was called and she moved quickly from the chair; she wanted to get out of the waiting room and get it over with. The mothering in the room was cloying, and Sasuke looked as comfortable as she did; though she wondered if that had more to do with the disapproving gazes some of the older couples being sent their way.

It was the same blonde woman that would have overseen her abortion had she gone through with it; Naruto liked her, she had a brash manner and didn't seem to have any qualms with whacking her subordinates a little when they didn't meet her expectations.

The woman, Tsunade, gave her and odd look sometimes. It was a sad, wistful kind of look, and Naruto wondered if perhaps she had wanted children of her own but, for whatever reason had never gotten them. It would explain the relief she expressed when she greeted them.

"I wondered if you'd be back; personally, I think you made the right decision – abortion is a messy business when you have other options," she informed her, and Naruto could help but agree remembering the explanation of what would abortions entailed physically.

The woman got down to business, instructing her to lie down on the bed, applying that cold sticky gel always shown in the films Naruto could never remember the name of, and moving the x-ray thing over her lower abdomen.

It was a tiny patch of grey on the screen but that was not what surprised her the most, It was a They. Two parasites; she felt nauseous again. Ill as she felt at the sight, and with Tsunade's explanations of how far along she was (8 weeks – enough to have formed two tiny muffled heartbeats), she found it difficult to tear her eyes away from the screen and the two life forms it displayed.

* * *

One night, laid on the sofa using Sasuke's chest as a cushion as she wolfed down some Kitsune Udon with extra tofu, the phone blared its tune over the film they were watching.

She was surprised by how normal a craving it was; she had expected things like avocado and fish eggs with chilli sauce. Tayuya liked to joke that she was _'lugging a fox around'_ with the amount she consumed.

Sakura immediately picked up the screaming technology and greeted Iruka enthusiastically. Naruto watched as the cheerful greeting disintegrated to what could only be described as shock.

Sakura stood rigid, listening to whatever Iruka was telling her with a face bordering between joy and anger, as if she didn't know how to adapt to whatever it was she was being told – at one point, Sakura scribbled on the notepad placed beside the phone for that very purpose

Eventually the phone call ended, and Sakura sat carefully at the other end of the sofa next to her own boyfriend; the silent comfort of a hand on her back from Gaara seemed to calm her down enough to reveal what had shaken her so much:

"They found our father, or at least, Iruka thinks they did" she told them lightly.

Sakura spoke as if speaking to loudly would trigger a wake up of some kind; the half smile on her face told Naruto that to wake up was something Sakura did not want.

Gaara and Sasuke instantly reacted, or as well as their silent demeanour would allow them too. Gaara in particular was lavish with the congratulatory notes; Sasuke had both his parents, but Gaara understood how important a true familial connection was better having grown up in care himself.

She should have been just as eager, but it just didn't compute with her; Sakura had never had a father in the first place! Call her insensitive, but Naruto didn't understand how Sakura could be so wound up over someone she had never met. So what if this faceless man was her flesh and blood?

Naruto didn't understand the envy burning in her chest. She had no reason to be jealous of Sakura; she'd never cared to know about her family like the others – not that Iruka had tried looking. She had been abandoned on a hospital doorstep in a cardboard box for Whirlpool brand instant Ramen (salt flavour), a small toy fox,a crystaline necklace, and a note with her name on.

Clearly, her family hadn't wanted anything do to her, and short of giving her a name hadn't cared for her presence; why waste time looking for them when she had a surrogate family that cared far more than her real one?

She had managed this far without her family thank you very much; admittedly, there had been one or two hiccups along the way, but for the most part she had a very well rounded life.

When she needed comfort that would normally have been given by a mother, father, or eve a sibling, she had found others to fill the roles instead, and they had an almost perfect fit in the moulds.

As Naruto stretched a smile on her face for Sakura's benefit, she couldn't help but wonder when the people that had once been her family had slipped through her fingers, and back into to their original category; friends.

* * *

Naruto, though she was barley into the end of her first trimester, was slowly beginning to despise being pregnant.

Despite the drugs Tsunade had given her, her morning sickness just seemed to have changed its schedule to midnight, and she couldn't go near Ramen without having to throw up any more (Horror films were completely out of the window; the merest hint of blood had her passed out on the floor).

Her boobs were going to kill her, of this she was positive, and she didn't even have the peeing problems just yet (she was absolutely dreading that). Really, the Parasites were beginning to annoy her more than the already had.

She wasn't allowed to eat fish, or a whole bunch of other foods, and Sasuke's mother was near force-feeding salads down her throat, and she had to check the labels of everything to make sure there was nothing hazardous to babies in whatever she was examining.

As she examined one of those label on a bottle of cleaning fluid – Sakura was sick of doing the housework by herself, and was certain one bottle of bleach wouldn't carry adverse effects – she felt a sharp pain.

Her hand automatically went to her abdomen; clutching, grasping – she didn't know what for. She looked down to see blood staining her orange skirt and thighs; her only thought before she collapsed was that something was terribly wrong with the twins.

* * *

Naruto blinked groggily at the white ceiling of the hospital; the smell of absolutely disinfectant identified her location. Glancing around, she found Sasuke in a frozen slump beside the bed she was laid in; the expression on his face made her stomach churn.

"What happened?" she asked, moving to sit up a little.

Sasuke's hand immediately stopped the action, and forced her back down onto the bed with clear panic: "Tsunade says you shouldn't move around much" he explained.  
So it was the twins after all; it had to be if Tsunade was acting as her doctor.

"The _Twins_, Sasuke tell me what happened; what's wrong with them?" she asked, barley noting the change in terminology.

His eyes showed momentary surprise to the direct reference; she had not referred to them with human terms before, preferring impersonal, inhuman words like _'They'_, _'Parasite'_ or 'T_hings'. _The surprise was very brief, and soon tuned to something else: "Naruto... I don't understand the medical jargon, but you... We're not having twins any more"

What?

"You had a miscarriage and... Well, you lost one of them" he said quietly, his eyes not meeting her own.

Miscarriage? But, but that didn't happen! Well, it did, but she had been eating everything right! She didn't even go to Sax practice as much now, just in case! How had she had a miscarriage? What had she done wrong?

She'd lost one of Them. One of _her_ Twins was dead before it could even think; had it died because she hadn't been careful enough? Because of a genetic thing? It was gone, she wouldn't even _see_ it! It didn't have a name, and she didn't even want it, but the thick smothering sense of loss was overwhelming.

Thin wet salt trains began to trail down her face as she realised that one of her Twins, one of _her_ Twins, was dead. She turned her head into the pillow, rolling onto her side and gave the pillow a futile thump with her fist.

Why? Why was fate or god or whoever ran the joint piling all the crap on her like this? It was bad enough that she was pregnant in the first place, but to just take one of her twins, one of _her_ stupid unwanted leech-like grey blobs, just like that?

That wasn't right! It wasn't!

A sob emerged as a strangled noise in the back of her throat, muffled by the pillow, and she felt Sasuke own shaking hand grasp her fisted one. Somehow, though her vision was blocked by her own eyelids and the stuffed fabric, she knew that Sasuke was just as torn as she was.

It was a comfort she didn't understand, and did little to make the foreign, suffocating feelings of grief go away.

* * *

"Mikoto, what are we doing here?" Naruto asked staring aghast at the shop the woman had just dragged her into.

When Mikoto had called to tell her they were going shopping, Naruto had assume that they would be going to the supermarket; she was running out of tofu, and there had been a unanimous vote that she have an escort every time she stepped outside after the miscarriage.

She had not expected to he dragged into a baby shop full of microtic little shoes that weren't even shoes and hats and fluffy toys and blankets. Tiny bodysuits towered around her, behind them a mountain of terrifying baby equipment, and the display island in the centre of the shop forced a pram and cot into her line of sight.

"Naruto, just because you don't want the baby doesn't mean you have to pass it on in just it's skin!"

Mikoto sighed and shook her head before dragging her over to a pile of yellow clothing.

"What do you think of this one?" she asked, holding up a disgusting creation with far too much lace and ribbon on it; surely all the dangling ties would be a health hazard for a newborn?

"I think I don't want the kid leaving the hospital looking like Frou-Frou the freaking Poodle," she stated bluntly, completely missing the triumphant look in the woman's eyes.

Naruto looked around, pulling on her empire-line vest as it caught at the back. She was somewhere between the beginning and the middle of her first second trimester now, and the little Brat was beginning to make it presence more noticeable.

She was not showing exactly, but she certainly found that her shirts were getting tighter. Her jeans would last a while longer, but she would probably have to get some of those stretchy maternity ones in a month or so. Two if she was lucky.

While she was not enthusiastic about the task, she had to admit that Mikoto had a point; the tyke could not leave in just a hospital blanket and its birthday suit; but while that was all well and good, if the job was left to Mikoto the poor thing would end up looking like a meringue. Naruto simply couldn't have that.

Determined to get the job done properly, she flitted around the stands and piles in search of something more suitable for a small child. Mikoto raised an eyebrow when she stopped in the purple section, and picked out a lilac baby-grow with three small iceberg-yellow foxes stitched on the front.

"Would something more neutral be better?" she asked.  
"It's a girl, so it's fine..." Naruto replied with a wave of her free hand, moving to another pile.

She picked up a pair of shoes (that were really just thick socks) with a similar purple shade, and a darker toned hat-glove set. Her due date was October, so the kid would need some warm stuff unless it planned on coming out with wooly mammoth fur...

"I though you didn't want to know the gender?" Mikoto asked, taking the pile and putting it in the basket she had picked up so Naruto could examine a row of jackets.  
"I don't, but I know it's a girl all the same" she informed the woman.

The jacket she picked out was a light mauve, darker than the baby-grow but not enough to make the kid look like an aubergine.

"I don't know; I was certain Sasuke would be a girl you know…" Mikoto argued with an unseen grin on her face as Naruto absently moved over to another pile of clothing.  
"Yeah, but Sasuke thinks it's a boy, so it'll be a girl; he has no luck with guessing" Naruto replied, examining a pink dress-like baby-grow with a wrinkled nose.

Mikoto couldn't be happier.

She had known Naruto since she was five years old; the red-head had been Sasuke's closest friend since primary school; She had known that Naruto would probably end up dating her son when he was so offended by her then-insensitivity about her fathers death. She hadn't understood it at the time though, and there was no weight over her head for the blunder now.

Naruto had gone to a different high school, but that had only worked in her benefit; Sasuke hadn't been very fond of that art friend of hers – Sai was it? He had been right too – they had been dating for a few weeks, but it didn't seem to work out. Not long after, her youngest had come up to her with a tomato red face asking what girls liked to do on dates.

That disgusting saxaphone tutor of hers had been something of a hurdle at one point, but things had sorted themselves out eventually.

Naruto had once again become a near-permanent member of her household. She had earned the role of the daughter Mikoto never had, and she knew the girl's mind as well as she did her sons', perhaps better than Naruto herself did.

There was no doubt in her mind that, when push came to shove, Naruto would not be able to hand her child to social services; Iruka's guarantees did not erase Naruto's own life in the care of the government, and she would not knowingly allow her child into the same system.

But as long as Naruto failed to recognise the child as her own flesh and blood – a side-effect from the social services was her misinterpretation of family – that was exactly what she would do.

It would be a long process Mikoto knew, to get the red-head to realise that, buried Marianas-trench-deep down, she wanted her baby. It had taken the loss of one for her to even refer to the twins as a human organism and recognise the link she had with them at all.

Yes, it would be slow, but in her own way Naruto was already beginning to accept it; she wouldn't have been so opposed to that awful frilly thing if she didn't care at all. The fact that she was taking her own initiative was good.

Even better was her adamant declaration that the baby would be a girl; it meant that on some level missed even by Naruto herself that the connection was there. Even when she had claimed her youngest boy would be a female, Mikoto had always wondered if she was right.

She knew Sasuke had grown into the baby; he had been making progress before the miscarriage and it had only strengthened with the misfortune, but Naruto needed to let herself accept her first real family member.

Some people may have said she was being pushy, but that didn't concern her; Naruto did, and if Naruto continued her microscopic climb towards accepting her own child only to then gave it up to the social services, Mikoto was certain the decision would haunt her for the rest of her life.

And Mikoto couldn't have that; Fugaku had given her some extra cash for the trip, far more than enough for some baby clothes, and his support only strengthened her resolve. Naruto was going to keep her baby if her name wasn't Mikoto Uchiha.

"This has to be enough right?" Naruto asked, holding up a few extra garments in varying shades.  
Mikoto smiled and nodded.

"Good! Can we please go to the supermarket now? I want some tofu..." Naruto grumbled irritably, pulling on her vest once again.

Mikoto raised an eyebrow at the action, before getting another gleam in her eyes.  
"I think it's you need some new clothes too Missy" she stated, taking Naruto by the hand and directing her towards the maternity section.

Naruto paled; she didn't want to go to the maternity section! Mikoto would never let her leave if she dragged her in there! Mikoto would make her wear dresses! Naruto had no problems with skirts, but dresses were right behind veggies on her hate list! Never mind maternity ones!

To her horror one of the attendants was the touchy-feely type, and overhearing Mikoto's statement immediately jumped onto the particular train of thought.

"We have a new range just in if you're interested interested!" she said with cloying happiness.

Naruto took several steps back, before being captured by the woman and dragged over to the piles of clothing. Frilly clothing; Naruto paled as she was bundled into a changing room with a sickly pink... thing. Grimacing, she pulled on the ribbony thing and grumpily stepped back out.

Mikoto looked fairly neutral, but the overly cheerful saleswoman was certain the frilly, lace covered, monstrosity seemed absolutely ecstatic, and immediately began to gush and squeal using forbidden words like _'adorable'_ and _'cute'._

"It makes me look like a meringue covered in vomit; don't you have anything in _black?_" Naruto asked irritably.

The woman gave a smile as sickly as the frilly pink top, giving her slightly curved belly a pat before going to look for the desired shade. Naruto began to swear and curse about personal space invasion.

Naruto made several desperate bids for freedom after that, but Sasuke had to learn his glare from someone, and it was not his father; she eventually left the shop dress free, but that did nothing to erase the trauma of shopping with Mikoto Uchiha.

* * *

Sasuke didn't know when he began to grow attached to the child that had latched itself inside his girlfriend, but he was certain the death of its twin had reinforced the growing notion that it was his.

That, yes, it was a human life he had (unwittingly) helped in creating. Not the animal or thing Naruto had referred to it as up till the same point, but a human life; While Naruto still didn't acknowledge any personal relation to the child, he did.

Like the saying said, it took two to tango; whether the baby was apart of his life or not – and for some reason he was hoping Naruto would reconsider the adoption option – he was still going to be its father.

It was still a terrifying thought, acceptance didn't change that one bit, but the more he thought about it the more he realised his mother was not completely wrong; at the very least, he didn't want his kid growing up in care when they could look after it themselves.

It wasn't like they had no money, or somewhere to stay. Iruka had already told them that it wouldn't be hard to get reduced housing or benefits if they did decide to keep the child.

There was no problem with him staying the night at the moment, but given he had parents of his own social services were hardly going to relish his continued presence in the half-way flat.

Both of them had jobs too; Naruto had been working at Killer Bee's full time since coming out of her school, and Killer Bee was the most flexible employer Sasuke had ever met. His bar job didn't skimp on his pay-check either, though he definitely had to earn it – Kakuzu was a certifiable money hoarder.

He was certain his father would force something on them too if they did look after it themselves; Fugaku had never liked the social care system in the first place, and he liked the idea of splitting what could be his family even less. He had been raised to value family, and while he understood Naruto's choice he did not truly support it.

But his and his family's opinions aside, Sasuke knew it was her opinion that mattered; if she did not want the baby, there was nothing he could do about it. He may not like it, but he couldn't force her to look after her own child.

His mother seemed to be plotting something though, if that baby-shopping trip was anything to go by, and the smuggness on her face had created a tiny spark of misguided hope. He got to see just where she had gotten it from during the end of the middle of Naruto's second trimester, and began to believe that just maybe he'd get to hold his kid after all.

Naruto was back from Killer bees early; the crazy shop owner had taken the situation in his stride, and simply moved Naruto to counter work instead of stockpiling and inventory at the back of the shop, keeping her at the full time salary for her original job.

She seemed to appreciate the action a lot, and not just on the money side of things; she was beginning to grumble whenever she walked over a certain distance or amount of time. Lifting boxes of vinyls and Cds wasn't as easy as it had been for her.

She was barley showing, but the fact that she was indicated that she was carrying an extra human around everyday; it was a small one, and it wouldn't survive by itself just yet, but was still a human with bones and flesh. That couldn't be a small feat.

Of course the first thing she did upon entering the flat was dig out some tofu and chop it up on the counter top, before dropping it into the small deep-fryer that had been dug out from the back of the cupboard.

It was always plugged in now – it just needed heating up and it would be ready to go.

Sasuke had started to almost live in the flat now; he didn't trust Sakura to keep her from falling on her face. Naruto called him a worry wart, but she was slowly beginning to be glad of his presence – some tasks were beginning to rise in difficulty thanks to her increase in mass.

After frying a satisfactory amount of tofu, she soaked up some of the excess fat with a pile of paper towels, dropped it on a plate, and plopped down on the sofa beside him a predatory gaze on the food.

The smell made him peckish, but he dint dare bring up the value of sharing; he had tried pinching some of the substance once, and Naruto had refused to even look him in the eye for a week. He was certain it would have been longer had he not replaced the food he hadn't even tasted twice over.

He watched her munch on the food like a carnivore before traipsing into the kitchen himself to search for some food of his own; he was contemplating toast toppings when Naruto let out an undignified, yelp-like squeak.

Going back in to check she hadn't tripped over her own feet, he was surprised to find the food of the gods splattered on the floor and plate in shards.

Naruto sat still cross legged on the sofa but her expression was one he had yet to see on her face; shock and pure unadulterated astonishment were the only words he could put to her expression.

Her hand moved to her left side slowly, and very cautiously. It stayed there before she jerked it away and stared down at the bump – it was far more visible with her current seating arrangements, she actually looked like she was five months pregnant.

"You okay?" he asked.

They had been very careful since the loss of the first twin – and it was safe to call it that since Naruto had finally accepted that her child would be human, not a cow as Tayuya was so fond of suggesting – but the possibility that something could still go wrong was never far away.

He'd done some research after that awful incident, and he'd discovered that miscarriages could still occur after the first trimester (where they were more common), and that they were more frequent with first pregnancies.

He didn't really understand everything about it, but he assumed it was something to do with the body not used to the changes, and rejecting them; like how it took a few tries to get the knack of riding a bike.

Naruto was not short, but he sometimes wondered if her body structure was up to giving birth; she had a strong punch, but she wasn't sturdily set. Then again, he could be talking out of his ass; there seemed to be a million other things that could still go just as wrong.

Not to mention he had failed biology with such accomplishment that it was something to bring up when conversation became awkward; he liked physics and chemistry, mechanics, electrics... Biology scared him.

"I... I think the little tyke just _kicked_ me...!"

Naruto spoke in a quiet stunned voice, before placing her hand back on her side with a surprised jerk.  
"Ow! That little _brat_, that hurt!" she yelped, sending a glare to the bump.

Well, she tried to, but glaring was difficult when she was so fascinated by the feeling; Sasuke had no way to understand what it felt like, being a male and all, and was satisfied with watching her repeatedly move and remover her hand from her side in curiosity.

There was no mistaking the look on her face; something was capturing her in the experience, and she was enjoying it.

She caught him watching, and jumped up from the sofa with decreased agility. She moved up to him and gave him a pointed look; she knew that he was second thoughts about the adoption idea even if he never said it.

_'This doesn't mean we're keeping it'_ her Lapis eyes told him; whether that was for her own assurance or his was debatable.

She took one of his hands and slipped it under the fabric of the empire line t-shirt his mother had forced her into buying – she had complained at the time, but only weeks after that shopping trip Naruto had been eating her words, digging around in the bottom of her wardrobe for those jeans with stretchy fabric his mother had insisted on.

She guided his hand to a spot low on her side, just where her skin began to stretch. He felt nothing for a few moments. Then he felt it; a powerful echo just beneath the surface of her outer body tissue. He could feel the impact through the layers of tissue, muscle, fat and skin, and it didn't take Naruto's wince to tell him the little sprog had one heck of a kick.

Damn it, Naruto was right; the kid was a girl. It had to be; no one on his side of the kid's genes was so violent. He had nothing against girls; he just hated loosing to his girlfriend in a bet.

"What's it feel like?" he asked quietly.

"...I don't know, really... _weird...? _Try imagining swallowing a really big brick, then imagine the brick playing piñata with your bladder," she answered, attempting to explain the feeling without obvious success.

He gave her face a surreptitious gaze, trying to get an indication of her personal feelings on the matter; the teeth tugging on her bottom lip betrayed her conflicting emotions.

She wanted to enjoy the feeling, since there was no denying that it was an amazing thing no matter what the circumstances, but enjoying it was dangerously close to accepting the baby that created it in the first place.

Naruto was beginning to open up to her child, but complete acceptance was still a long way off.

* * *

"Sakura, while I'm all for taking on the moral support job, is this really the best idea? What if I get those Braxton Hicks things?" Naruto asked in a low whisper as the guard directed them into a private room.

"Oh god! I didn't think of that!" Sakura yelped, stopping in the middle of the room instead of sitting down on one of the chairs provided by the table.

"I was joking! Calm down woman!" Naruto informed her, taking up one of the seats herself.  
Sakura gave her a dubious look before sitting down beside her.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I know I shouldn't have asked you, but I really didn't want to come by myself... What if he's a _murder_ or something?" Sakura asked, gripping her seat tightly.

They were currently in Konoha's Maximum Security Detention Centre; the local jail in simple terms. Sakura had been pushing for months, and finally gained the necessary approval to visit the man who would have been her father.

"Then... I say we hope to god that guard knows how to use his club-thingy," Naruto replied, gesturing to the stoic guard in the corner of the room with a jerk of her thumb.

Sakura laughed weakly – very weakly. After several minuet of torturous waiting another door, different to the one they had entered through, opened and a man in an orange boiler suit with the sleeves and legs chopped short was led inside by another guard.

He had baby cow-licks in his hair – a few shades lighter than Naruto's in colour – and a very blank expression on his face as he sat down in the seat opposite them on the other side of the table.

Sakura's skin had turned several degrees paler in porcelain shade, and Naruto was beginning to wonder if she would even be able to talk the man, never mind ask the questions she wanted to ask.

"I'm guessing you would be Sakura?" the man started, his gaze lingering on her friends face and hair colour.  
"Uh, yes... It's... Err…" Sakura twisted her hands unconsciously, trying to think of the right words.

"Why don't you try _'Hi dad'_ and see where you go from there?" Naruto asked absently; she was busy contemplating the odds of the guard getting her some tofu (they were not high).

"Naruto! Shh! I'm sorry Mr. Akasuna! Naruto is... I didn't want to come by myself, but..." Sakura shot her friend a glare.  
"It's understandable; just call me Sasori if it's easier," he replied, a ghost of a smile creeping into the corner of his mouth.

Naruto stared at the man; she'd never though she'd find someone who was blanker than Gaara or Sasuke, but by god, Sakura's father would give them a definite run for their money.

"Jeez, what crawled up _your_ ass and died?" Naruto asked, eyeing the guard once again; she really, _really_ wanted some tofu.

She could tell Sakura was itching to hit her; the pink-haired girl had limited her _'a__buse'_ to light slaps to her shoulder ever since she had past the first trimester, and it was beginning to irritate her.

Sakura shot her another glare as the man gave what she assumed was a chuckle of laughter. As Sakura finally gathered her back bone and began asking him the questions she had lined up, Naruto took a closer look at the man.

If she had met the man on the street, she would have guessed he was Gaara's father, not Sakura's. Their appearance was disturbingly similar; it seemed genetics had more to play in the search for a partner than she had originally thought, or they did if Sakura's taste was anything to go by.

"Sakura, I think you have an Oedipus complex" Naruto stated bluntly.

Her statement drew two very confused - and one very irritated - looks.

"I mean, look at him! He looks like Gaara's older clone!" Naruto waved her hand at the man for emphasis.

Sakura looked at her in shock for a few moments, before turning back to the man nervously and taking a closer look at the man; surely she could tell just by looking at him? Or was she really so nervous that she had missed the glaringly obvious?

"How can I have an Oedipus complex when I've never met him before?" she asked.  
"Don't know, Biology maybe?"

Naruto shruged and turned to the red-haired man with a very solemn expression.  
"Will that guard go get some deep-fried tofu if I ask?" she asked him seriously.

Sakura did not hold back and whacked her head across the back of the head.

"Ow! That hurt! Remember the Braxton thingies! _Braxton!_" Naruto complained.  
"Don't ask stupid questions then!" Sakura countered, giving a sigh of frustration.  
"If you don't mind my asking, do you mean Braxton Hicks Contractions?" the red head, Sasori, asked in his monotone voice.

Sakura raised an eyebrow as Naruto rubbed the sore spot at the back of her head muttering about abuse.

"You know them?"  
"I was a doctor" he replied calmly; Sakura's eyes brightened.  
"Really? I've just applied for a medical course at National! I still have exams to sit, so the most I could get is a conditional, but..."

The revelation visibly perked his interest, and he leaned forward on his elbows as he struck up a conversation. Sakura instantly brightened as she found some common ground between them and threw herself into the conversation.

Naruto watched with a smile on her face; she was glad that this meeting was beginning to ease into something of a success for her room mate; Sakura had already lost one parent, and she had been the worst off between herself and Gaara when growing up in the children's home.

She knew what she had missed out on, while many of the other kids did not. It was like seeing a new lease of life in Sakura, a glint in her eye that hadn't been there before, upon grasping a mere fragment of what she had been missing. There her understanding ended.

Once again, she recognised the jealousy, but something else was spilling over it; when Sasuke had told her of Itachi's adoption idea, she had done her research before making her decision. She didn't mind the idea of the sprog seeking her out if it so wished later on in life when Iruka had mentioned it, and she fully understood it having been curious of her own family when she was younger.

Watching Sakura interacting and getting to know her father was making her doubt the decision; compared to the Sakura from before this meeting, and even before the news that her father had been found, her friend had been hollow. Something had been missing. Would she be able to handle her sprog looking at her like that further down the line?

"Naruto!"

Naruto jerked back to the conversation between the two others occupying the room; Sasori was giving her a strange look, and Sakura looked a little irritated.

"What?" Naruto asked.  
"Sasori was talking to you! Stop daydreaming!" Sakura berated.

Naruto looked to the man in surprise; what on earth did he want to talk to her for? Aside from their hair colour (and Sakura she supposed), there was nothing for them to discuss.

"How far along are you?" he asked.  
"Dunno... Almost seven months? I know I've past the second trimester... Why?" she replied, raising an eyebrow at the question.

"Just curios... You don't look much younger than Moriko was when Tayuya was born, so I guess I just feel nostalgic," he replied with little to no emotion in his voice.

Screw giving Sasuke a run for his money, this guy would beat him hands down with the impassive attitude.

"Yeah well, I can't wait to get rid of the stupid sprog," Naruto muttered to herself.

Sakura merely rolled her eyes, but her father was giving her a curious look. He said nothing however and turned back to his conversation with Sakura. Naruto noticed he gave an occasional glance in her direction, but he was as blank as slate.

The meeting lasted another twenty minuets before two guards arrived to escort Sasori back to his cell. Sakura looked conflicted for a moment, before she went up to the guards and whispered a question to one.

"Make it quick," the blue-haired man said shortly.

Sakura turned back to Sasori, gulped for a moment before throwing her arms around his neck, her feet lifting from the floor. The man looked comparatively shocked for a moment before returning it as best he could with the short restraints on his wrists.

After barley a moment the guards insisted on separation, and Sakura withdrew with great reluctance.

"Well, I guess I'll see you at some other time," Sakura said with some despondence.  
"Take care of yourself Sakura; tell Tayuya I said hello" Sasori replied as the restraints were attached to those of a guard.

Sakura nodded and sat up from the chair, giving Naruto a hand as she copied the action. The little brat seemed to have hit a growth spur recently, and her bump was beginning to bring about the waddling whale in her.

"You _so_ owe me tofu for this Sakura," Naruto grumbled as the followed on of the guards to the door they had entered in.

"Make sure you look after that kid of yours girlie; you only get one chance to get it right," Sasori said, giving Naruto a glance over his shoulder before his own door was shut behind him.

Sakura gave her a questioningly look, but Naruto was too absorbed with his words to care.

* * *

"_Why _am I doing this again?" Naruto asked as Sasuke helped her out of Obito's car.

"Because you're due in two months and you haven't bothered to find out what's going to happen when you finally burst; that's my nephew you're carting around! Gotta make sure you get him out right" Obito told her pointedly.

"I keep telling you people it's a _girl!_ And its labour; I've gotta push a miniature human out my vagina! How much more do I have to know other than it's gonna hurt like a bitch?" Naruto retorted snappily, pulling on her yellow duffel coat.

"Honestly, are you and Itachi really twins?" Naruto grumbled to herself, pulling on a pair of blue gloves; she didn't bother trying to close her coat any further – she'd tried that once and almost lost a button. Sasuke handed her blue hat and she jammed it over her ears.

"And I say you're wrong! I'll pick you guys up at five pm; Have fun _Mama!_" Obito stuck his tongue out at her from the driving seat before driving away from the fuming red-head.  
"Stop calling me that!" she yelled after the car, waving her fist threateningly.

Her boyfriend did not pity Obito when Naruto next caught up with him; hormone imbalance had made her more violent than ever before.

He'd found that out very early on, and Itachi had found out the hard way; his older brother had, stupidly, commented that the baby was beginning to make its presence known a few weeks before the six month mark. Naruto had not appreciated his comments.

After waiting until she had stopped her vocal objections towards the disappearing car, he laced their fingers together and set off to the address given to them by Naruto's Saxophone tutor of all people.

Naruto had dropped the instrument once she began to show, but she still went to the lessons. She claimed she didn't need an actual Saxophone to improve all around.

Sasuke knew it was simply because Orochimaru wouldn't let a meddlesome little matter like pregnancy get in the way of his tutoring, and he secretly struck divine fear into his girlfriend.

When his mother had picked her up, rabbiting about pre-natal classes, Orochimaru had mentioned another of his pupils in the same situation who went to a pre-natal course nearby; his mother had clawed the address out of him and promptly signed them up.

The classes took place in an old community centre that doubled up as a small theatre. Naruto had growled at the medium flight of steps that led to the entrance -_'Who the hell put steps and pregnancy classes in a building without lifts?'_ - but they had eventually made it inside the building.

The moment Naruto stepped in the room he felt her freeze up when all the other couples began the staring; it didn't really bother her in the street but given this was an enclosed space she wouldn't be able to escape from for at least an hour.

"Oh god… I need to pee _again!_" she whimpered.

Sasuke groaned inwardly; this was going to be a long few hours.

* * *

Naruto abandoned him to the stares in search of a bathroom without batting an eyelid; Sasuke held no grudge, but he still didn't like being left in the room by himself – why were people so damn judgemental?

A hand ruffled his hair and he turned to see a young man with grey hair and an eye-patch standing behind him; his polo-neck was pulled up over the lover half of his face, hiding it from view.

Beside him was a woman with short brown hair; Naruto would probably have complained that the woman was less whale-like than she was had she been present.

"Just ignore them kid; most of them are old fashioned idiots," he replied, seeming to smile through his mask; He ruffled his hair again ad Sasuke scowled.

"Leave him alone Kakashi!" the woman scolded, removing his hand from Sasuke's hair.

The man just smiled. Sasuke wondered if he knew how to do anything but smile. The woman introduced herself as Rin, and basically gave him the same reassurances as her boyfriend had.

She was a lawyer, and Kakashi worked as a private detective at the same company Obito worked for as a finance manager – they had met when one of Kakashi's fellow employees sued him for minor sexual harassment. Apparently it had worked out rather well for him in the end

She began asking him questions; how old was he? How far along was his partner? Had she driven him crazy yet? He answered them, and she then moved onto the classes themselves.

Sasuke was contemplating giving the Kakashi man a desperate, silent, plea for help of some kind when another female voice, younger, entered the fray.

"Kakashi! You made it this week!" A blonde girl greeted enthusiastically from the doorway with a wave of her hand; the boy beside her walked with as little effort as was physically required, and was clearly bored with the whole thing.

"Hello Ino – you're looking whale-like today" the man greeted giving her the same hair ruffle he had given Sasuke; the girl aimed a punch at him, but it was dodged with what looked like a lot of experience.

"Shut up! You try carrying a kid around with you!" she growled.  
"Calm down Ino, you're scaring the new guy" the lazy-looking boy drawled with a yawn.

Sasuke protested that; he was not scared of the girl! She just reminded him so much of his own girlfriend when she was having one of her moody fits it was unnerving. How on earth did Mr lazy stand this constantly? He was lucky Naruto didn't have all that many mood swings...

"New guy?" she looked beyond her nose and finally caught sight of him.

"Well _finally! _I thought we were going to be the only ones not ancient here!" she gushed, directing the statement to both herself and her companion.

"Why can't you just say 'hello' like a _normal_ person?" the boy complained.  
"Shut up Shikamaru!" Ino growled, before turning back to Sasuke.

"Are you Orochimaru's student? He said he gave the address to another of his students yesterday..." she asked, and that told him where Orochimaru had gotten the address from.

"No."  
"No? Oh, wait, is it your girlfriend? Where is she? Or are you one of those creeps who spy on preg-"  
"She's looking for the bathroom, and yes, Orochimaru gave her the address" he replied quickly.

Shikamaru gave him a sympathetic look.

* * *

Eventually Naruto re-joined him, grumbling to herself about something he couldn't quite hear, but supposed had to do with the toilet. She immediately gave Rin a jealous look, before turning to Ino and jumping into conversation.

They were discussing their respective instruments (Ino played the flute), and how much of a pain it was not being able to practice them, when the woman with short brown hair who ran the class entered the room and asked everyone to take a seat on the mats adorning the floorboards.

Sasuke and Shikamaru – who had formed a silent bond of camaraderie – followed the two girls to two mats side by side, behind the one occupied by Kakashi and Rin.

Sasuke felt a little confused, but gathered from the action of the other men in the room that he was supposed to sit behind Naruto. Once everyone was settled, the woman introduced herself as Shizune to themselves and a couple of other new faces, before diving into the class.

"Now, most of you are into your third trimester, some of you may even be only a few days away from labour, so that is going to be the subject of today's class," the woman started.

She went to one of her bags and produced a sweater and a football.

"Firstly, were going to talk about the labour itself; imagine this football is your baby-"

The woman indicated the football in her hand.

"-and that this sweater is the birth canal," She held up the sweater.

He heard a choking noise from Naruto, but he didn't quite understand what prompted it till he watched the woman stuff the football into the sweater, positioning it just before one of the sleeves.

"This is, for want of a better example, what labour will be like for you," the woman stated, forcing the football down one sleeve.

"Sasuke, I'm going to kill you for this!" Naruto whimpered, watching the end of the sleeve stretch beyond what should have been possible.  
Beside him, Ino was giving Shikamaru a glare that promised similar pain and torture.

* * *

_**I would just like it to be known that I am not generalising on the social care system; I'm certain that most people from such a background would be very of accepting of any baby - boy or girl, but this is Naruto, and FanFiction. I can't have this going easy, or I wouldn't have a plot. **_

_**Neither am I generalising about euthanasia or the prison system. Or baby classes - I had to ask my mother about that a lot, and she only went to about two because they creeped her out. Neither do I know what a baby kick feels like - I'm guessing, using TV knowledge, and that bottomless pit of wisdom called 'Mum'.**_


	3. TwentySeven Hours

**THE DICHOTOMY OF ****FAMILY AND GENETICS**

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* * *

**

Naruto never though much about her own family – her background never seemed important to her; a moments carelessness meant she got one whether she wanted one or not. All of a sudden, she finds herself missing what she had never had, and what she had never missed, before. SasuNaru (FemNaru), slight GaaSaku, ShikaIno, KakaRin, JiraTsu, MinaKushi, & YahiKonan.

* * *

**CHAPTER III  
****~ TWENTY-SEVEN HOURS ~**

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* * *

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_It isn't easy growing up in world war three,_  
_Never knowing what love could be._  
_Can we work it out? Can we be a family?_  
_Let's play pretend,_  
_And act like it comes naturally._

* * *

"I can't believe this; why am I even here? This is for people who want their kid!" Naruto muttered to herself as she pretended to burp a small pillow with a wailing face drawn on it in permanent marker.

"You aren't keeping yours?" Ino asked, clearly surprised.  
"Nope; my social worker's arranged for this couple to adopt it, he keeps_ 'forgetting'_ the paperwork though..." Naruto frowned.

If Naruto had though Iruka was against using underhanded methods to get her to reconsider adoption before, she certainly wasn't now. Really, it seemed that everyone was determined to change her mind!

"Social worker?" Ino asked.  
"Orphan" Naruto clarified.

She gave the pillow a half-hearted pat; out of the corner of her eye she could see Sasuke giving her an indecipherable gazed; damn it, she wasn't getting into this!  
It was a trap!

"I thought of doing that too, but... He's _mine_. Not someone else's. Even if I did give him up, I'd still be his mother; giving him to someone else doesn't change the fact that he's _my_ son" Ino commented, staring down at her own distended stomach with a soft smile.

Naruto gripped the pillow tighter; she didn't want to admit it but Ino was right. Giving the baby to someone else would not change the fact that she was a mother, in the clinical sort of sense. _She'd_ carried it this long, and _she_ would be the one to give birth to it; according the dictionary, she_ would_ be a female parent. She would be someone's _mother_; distant or not, she'd never be able to change that fact.

She would be a mother; she would give birth to a child. Whether she wanted it or not, she would have a family. A small, screaming, wet, human that shared her genetics; someone related to her (and Sasuke) by blood, who shared her unknown ancestry.

She'd had her family already, she had told herself, but she really hadn't, had she? She had always believed she didn't care about her parents – they abandoned her, so why should she care? But wasn't the way she placed her friends in those roles proof that she did?

Mikoto was the mother she never had: Sakura, Tayuya, Gaara, Itachi, and Obito were like siblings to her. Grumpy old Fugaku too; he'd always looked after her in his gruff manner, keeping boys away from her when she was younger - including his own son - like an overprotective father (Sasuke was a different kettle of fish altogether).

But that was it; they were like family, but the weren't the real thing. Over the past seven months, she'd been forced to look at her life in a lot more detail; her beliefs and choices had unexpectedly and unobtrusively followed into that category. The revelations felt like a rug had been pulled from her feet.

She wanted a family after all; she had a chance to have that family too, but every time her baby kicked her insides it was completely foreign. Thanks to Ino, Naruto could freely admit that she wanted her baby more than even she had thought – the thought of giving her up filled her with something she could only describe as refusal and horror.

She wanted her daughter, but she had no idea how on earth she was supposed to be a mother; she'd never had one after all. How could she give a baby a family when she didn't even know what it was besides the dictionary definition?

Her daughter gave her a particularly strong kick, and Naruto winced.

* * *

Sasuke watched Naruto as she listened to whatever Ino was saying to her; he couldn't lip read but he could guess from Naruto's reaction what the topic was. Shikamaru had already told him that he and Ino were keeping their son, and already inquired about theirs (he was certain it was a boy). When he'd explained their situation, the boy had muttered one word: Troublesome.

Sasuke couldn't help but think that the boy had summed up the situation perfectly. He also worried that the lazy boy's girlfriend had just added unnecessary fuel to a forest fire. When they were dismissed, Naruto stood by Ino in a daze, nodding along to whatever the girl said and absently exchanging phone numbers. Her distant manner remained as they walked back to the spot where Obito had dropped them off.

"Are you all right? I figured you'd be jumping for joy right now" he asked.

"I... I don't know; I fee like everything I believed in was just like a dream, or an escape; that place really... Some of the things Ino said made me think about things I didn't want to" she mumbled, not looking him in the eye as her hand encroached the front of her stomach.

For a brief moment Sasuke wanted to go find the blond girl and kiss her.

Whatever she had said had Naruto openly acknowledging her baby after months of disinterest. She'd allowed herself to humanise the baby, and his mother had dragged an innate subconscious interest from her, but the only time he'd seen Naruto make a gesture like that had been when the baby first kicked her.

She hadn't reacted to that out of interest, but surprise; she'd let him take an interest, but she hadn't really taken an interest herself. She'd poked her stomach in occasional irritation, but apart from the press on her bladder, that was as far as her contact with the baby had gone.

Whatever Ino had said to her had either been the right thing, or had simple come at the right time and with the right words. Maybe hearing what everyone else had secretly been trying to convey from someone in the exact same position had been a factor. He didn't really care, he just wanted to find that Ino girl and thank her for giving his girlfriend the wake-up call everyone else had been attempting for seven months.

"Obito's right isn't he? I'm really going to be a _'Mama' _aren't I?"

She asked as if she didn't want to hear an answer she already knew herself; Sasuke answer her any way.  
"Yup."

Naruto gave him a contemplative look, asking another silent question she didn't want an answer too: _'You want to be a dad don't you?'_  
This time Sasuke didn't answer; any more words would have ruined one of the most important moments he was likely to live through.

* * *

The door slammed angrily, and Naruto jerked awake; a trail of drool dripped from her chin, which she hastily wiped as she angled her head over the sofa to glare at whomever had disturbed her nap; a pink thundercloud was muttering to itself as it threw down its coat and gloves.

"Should I even _ask?_" Naruto asked, giving her flat-mate an alarmed look.  
Sakura let out a largely suppressed howl of fury.

"She _knew!_ She_ knew_ all this time!" Sakura raged, throwing herself into her favourite char with murder in her eyes.  
"Who knew what?" Naruto asked, still confused; who was she supposed to cursing on Sakura's behalf?  
_"Tayuya!_" Sakura spat.

Naruto was surprised; Sakura and Tayuya usually got along quite well. They had sisterly spats occasionally, of course, but Naruto had never seen her best-friend look so murderous, and especially not towards her older sister. What on earth had Tayuya done?

"She knew where our father was all this time! She knew he was alive!" Sakura roared, answering Naruto's question for her.  
"What?" Naruto asked, suitably horrified.

Naruto wanted to severely box the darker pink-haired girl around the ears; Tayuya knew what finding their father had meant to Sakura! How could she have let her chase loose ends for months when she'd known where he was all along? How had she kept something like that a secret?

"My thoughts exactly! I don't understand how she could do that! Why would she do that Naruto? What possible reason could she have for something like that?" Sakura's tone was dropping in volume; she seemed to have gotten the majority of her raw anger out.

Now Naruto had to stitch up the gashes its source had caused.

"Maybe she doesn't like him?" Naruto suggested.  
"I asked her that already; she doesn't have any problems with him at all! She knows why he's in jail, and she doesn't care! I don't understand it at all!" Sakura replied, a trace of betrayal laced into her more peaceful anger.

Naruto frowned; Sasori had helped his mother onto the next life at her request – in other words euthanasia. He'd been caught and even though people had witnessed her ask him to do it, he had been sentenced to Twenty years imprisonment and had his medical licence permanently revoked.

Naruto could see why Tayuya didn't mind his jail-status or criminal record all that much; it was such a misguided subject after all, and his reasons could hardly be murderous. That being said, Tayuya was never the type to care about such matters; her own revelation to the girl had only generated a few moments of surprise.

It wasn't new to her though; Naruto had seen plenty of kids with Tayuya's attitude that had carried far worse damage before the two sisters had arrived at the orphanage. She knew what a mask looked like, far more than she would have liked.

"Maybe she cares more than she's letting on Sakura; it might be something else she hasn't told you about" Naruto suggested, lowering her own voice in the hopes that Sakura would follow.

"Then she should be able to tell me; I'm her sister for crying out loud!" Sakura complained reverting back to her usual register, leaning back and staring at the ceiling in a manner that exuded frustration.

She settled her gaze back onto Naruto, giving her a scrutinising look.  
"Since when did _you_ get such an expert on family disputes?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

Naruto snorted, doing her best to ignore the comment.

"I've been in care longer than you have Sakura; it wouldn't be the first time I've seen someone put up a tough face" she replied flopping back and shutting her eyes.  
"That's _bull_ and you know it; you've been unusually empathic even for you recently" Sakura stated; Naruto ignored her.

"Can I ask something?"  
"You're going to ask it whatever I say; I guarantee no answers though" Naruto mumbled with a half smile – it seemed Sakura had forgotten her problems in exchange for her own.

Maybe she shouldn't have intervened after all.

"Why are you so adamant on giving the kid up for adoption? You know what it's like better than me, better than Gaara even – you just _said_ as much! I don't see why you would willingly put a kid through that," Sakura told her quietly.

Naruto sighed; she didn't want to have this conversation.  
"You _know_ why" she replied.

"I know the reason you keep telling everyone including yourself because you don't want to admit the real reason"  
"There is no real reason Sakura; I just don't_ want_ a kid. Plain and simple" Naruto informed her pointedly.  
"Uh-huh, sure, if that's the case why were you so freaked out after going to that pre-natal class last week?"

Naruto didn't have an answer Sakura would be satisfied with; she really didn't like the way this conversation was going.  
"Sasuke told me you were talking to the other girl Orochimaru tutors, and do you know what I think?"

Naruto made no attempt to reply.

"I think she's got you thinking about this whole thing; she said something that's made you recognise things you've been blocking out since-"  
"I haven't been blocking anything out!" Naruto yelled, only realising the meaning behind her outburst after it had broken free;_ denial._

"Then why are you so mad? I'll ask again Naruto, and this time I want a straight answer; why do you want to give up your own kid like this?"

Naruto flinched, but quietly replied all the same.  
"I don't know."

Sakura's frown told her she'd have to do better than that.

"I don't... I don't know how to be a good... I don't how to be someone's _family_ Sakura; how do I do that? I've never _had_ one, so what am I supposed to relate this to? I'd rather she gets a decent family from strangers than a half-baked one from me!"

She'd said it; completely blurted it out. Instead of snorting as someone else would have, Sakura mulled her words over; she at least had an inkling of understanding after all.

"Naruto think about what you just said" Sakura instructed, fixing her gaze on her best friend.

Naruto didn't understand the directive; she knew what she had said! She was the one who had said it!  
What did her words have to do with anything?

"If you can say that, then you have nothing to be worrying about" Sakura informed her, rising from her seat and heading over to the small kitchenette.

Naruto sat contemplating Sakura's words for a long time.

* * *

"Happy Birthday" Sasuke said quietly, handing her his gift wrapped box.

The party was long over, and any other person would have enjoyed it but Naruto appreciated Sasuke's quiet congratulation more than the noisy party Sakura had created from nowhere; her birthday wasn't really her birthday after all.

It was the day Iruka had found her on the steps of the children's home with nothing but a blanket, her necklace, a small toy fox, and a note with her name on in a shipping box for salt Ramen. She had been a few weeks, maybe even a month old; the 10th of October was not her birthday.

The only thing she really celebrated today was the fact her parents had bothered to give her a name. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Sakura's sentiments, or anyone else's, but it was hard for her to enjoy them when she'd really rather the day hurry up and end.

Sasuke knew she didn't really celebrate in her own mind, so he kept his own short, simple, and private.

Opening up the shiny orange paper, she opened the box and pulled out a pair of tiny white-gold pendants on a thin chain of the same material; one was the preferred Kanji for her name, and the other smaller characters for the Ramen affiliation her name held.

Naruto wanted to go up to Iruka and rub the present in his face; Sasuke was a serious person, but he knew her better than anyone else. She leaned up and kissed him with a little more fervour than she usually doled out.

She knew some women still enjoyed sex when they were pregnant, but she certainly didn't, and pitied her poor boyfriend. He really deserved a medal for putting up with her; they'd gone from having a fairly active relationship to nothing seemingly overnight. He probably had blue balls by now.

"Thanks; Put it on? I feel lazy..." Naruto asked, holding up the pendants.  
"Since when is that new?" he asked, rolling his eyes but taking the necklace all the same.

Once it was fastened, Naruto flopped back onto her human pillow; Sasuke was busy staring at the TV, watching some sort of animal documentary on birds of prey, but Naruto's view was slightly marred by the bulge of her belly, and she couldn't help but stare at it as she mulled things over yet again.

Ino and Sakura's words had changed her attitude towards her baby drastically; she hadn't actually spoken the new desire to keep it, but she was certain Sasuke knew. The main thing holding her back was her insecurities of motherhood; she'd never experienced it with anything but her name, so how was she supposed to replicate it?

Ino had already had her son. Mujiro was a cute, loud little kid with dark hair an eggshell eyes; Ino had spent weeks looking through books of baby names, only to be hit by inspiration on a trip to the zoo in front of a badger exhibit. Well, more like he had decided to break her waters in the middle of the crowd. Shikamaru called the boy troublesome a lot, but it was easy to see the love in his words; it seemed almost a term of endearment for Mujiro and his mother.

She realised that if she was going to be a good mother, the first thing to do would be to at least give the poor girl a name; that was all well and good progress, but with exactly 31 days left till her due date (10th November), she didn't have much time to come up with something.

She angled her head over the bump, examining the TV screen in the hopes inspiration would hit her like it had Ino, hopefully without the breaking waters; the image of a hawk tearing into raw rabbit flesh was not very inspiring. Disgusting and nauseating, but not inspiring.

"Takako maybe...? Ew, no. I'll just think of dead rabbit consumption" Naruto mumbled to herself, giving the chick on the television a disgusted look.  
"What?" Sasuke asked; he didn't seem to have heard her.

She hadn't really been intending for him to hear her, it had been an internal musing unconsciously vocalised, but it would have been better if he had. She'd have to directly say it out loud now. She wasn't altogether certain she could... No - if she was thinking of her daughter's name, there was no reason for her to be so wary any more was there?

"I... I was thinking maybe Takako –_ 'Hawk child'_ - for the runt..." she gestured to the bulge with one of her hands, just to make sure he was keeping up with her.

"...but I'll just see a baby hawk choking back a dead rabbit with that" she said, turning bright red and not daring to look him in the eye – she couldn't really, sprawled against him as she was, but she still felt nervous.

She felt him stiffened beneath her as he took in her implications, before the arm around her tightened – though not uncomfortably so.

"Hiro" he said.  
"_'Son'_? Sasuke I think you're a little confused; it's _not_ a boy"  
"No, _'Fire', and_ _'clear' or 'bright'_" he replied quietly, eyes on the TV but mind elsewhere.  
"So _'Bright Fire'_?" Naruto asked, looking backwards and up.

She could see the faint smile in the corner of his mouth as he nodded, and Naruto wondered just how hard it was for him to keep from doing a happy dance. She grinned a wide grin she hadn't truly shown for almost nine months: "I like it, but that's still a _boy's_ name you idiot!" she informed him pointedly.

Sasuke twitched in irritation, and Naruto laughed.  
"What makes you so sure it's a _girl?_" he asked after a few moments.

Naruto considered it; she ad no answer really. It was just the way everyone (except Itachi) said it was a boy because she was so whale-like, or because it had such a strong kick - it made her absolutely certain it was a girl; if the kid had her genes, then she'd probably pretend to be a boy just to annoy them.

"Dunno; just do" Naruto replied with a yawn.

Naruto rolled onto her side, curling up a slight, as Sasuke rolled his eyes and pulled her a little closer.

* * *

"Naruto! pay attention!"

Naruto used her best puppy-eyed look on her tutor, but it failed miserably; it quickly changed to a glare instead.  
"I'm sorry Closet Perv, but I'm starving! Can't we stop this for ten minuets?" Naruto begged; Ebisu let out a frustrated sigh.

"You had lunch an _hour _ago! How can you _still_ be hungry?" he asked in disbelievingly.  
"Because I'm eating for _two!_ Stupid Closet Perv!" Naruto snapped back, ignoring his protests and rising from her seat in search of food; specifically, tofu.

The school had ultimately decided they didn't want her back at all – not that she was all that surprised with Shimura heading the troops – but since she was still technically supposed to be in school, they had _kindly_ sent Ebisu along to teach her instead.

As she dropped some of the ready-chopped tofu (it had proved more convenient than chopping it every time she was hungry) into the deep fryer, the small human inside her let loose a certifiable artillery on her guts.

Letting out a breath of surprise, her hand went to her side instantly and she glared down at the bulge.  
"Stop that; I'm eating all right?" she growled, retrieving the tofu.

The bulge responded with another shower of missiles on her insides, and Naruto very nearly fell on her face from the experience, grabbing hold of the counter top in surprise and for support.

What on earth was up with the kid today? She's been jumping back and forth like a jack-in-the-box all night previous and all day today! She'd thought the little tyke was just being more active than usual (which was saying something), but this was taking the cake!

This was no mere stretch of the legs; a sick worry smothered her when the thought that something could be going badly wrong entered her mind. What if she was strangling on the cord-whatsit? That happened, didn't it?

Naruto bit her lip as she sat back down, placing the plate of food on her lap instead of her belly as she usually did; she shouldn't worry like that but she'd already had one miscarriage, and that fact made the possibility of another all too real.

She should think positively, but it wouldn't hurt to call Tsunade would it? Just to be safe? Or was she just being paranoid? God where was Sasuke when she needed him? He knew all the technical stuff better than she did! Oh yeah, School. Tch.

Stupid School; she knew there was a reason it had irritated her so much. Sakura and Gaara were a no go either, Mikoto and Fugaku would be at work, she seemed to scare Itachi and Obito, and god knows what Tayuya was doing.

That meant the only person who was free to go with her to the hospital (since there was no way she could get there by herself when she could barley waddle) was the Closet Pervert...

Damn, shit, crap and buggery!

* * *

The trip to the hospital was not a happy one; Ebisu was irritated that his lesson had been tossed aside in favour of a hospital, and he had no car; walking to the bus stop had been no small feat, and Naruto's feet felt like burning lead blocks.

"What date did the third inter-continental war start?"

And then there was the mobile education; Naruto had not anticipated that. It didn't help that the sprog had stopped moving since she had started moving around – a dull ache had replaced the movement, and while it wasn't too uncomfortable, it was distracting.

"Uh... 1066?" Naruto replied, spouting the first date that came to mind as the man gave her a helping hand onto the bus – that tiny step was no joke when you couldn't even see your own feet.

"That's the Battle of Whirlpool" he corrected, sitting down beside her on one of the seats; Naruto could feel the disapproval from the old women sitting behind her and fought the urge to snap at them.

Sitting down had done her no favours – the ache was less of an ache and more of sharp pain now. She knew something wasn't right!

"Then 1746?" Naruto tried again.  
"The Battle of Kanabi Bridge; Try a looking a little closer to the modern age" Ebisu bristled.

Naruto frowned in concentration; she hated world history at the best of times, but without a textbook it was even worse! Pain stabbed the lower half of her body and she winced.

"194- Ow! - 1945?" she asked.  
"...Oh fine; I'll let you have that, since that was when the war ended at Battle of Iron Country. I doubt you'll get any closer with your memory" he sighed, before moving off onto the Earth Country depression that led to the rise of their crazy ring leader and the war itself.

Naruto wasn't really paying attention, she never paid attention to world history even in school, so what hope did Ebisu have? Besides, the pain was really getting uncomfortable. She racked her brains, trying to remember all the possible complications that Tsunade had mentioned over the past few months; she couldn't remember anything that involved movement or pain specifically.

Another stab shot through her spine and she bent over as far as her swollen stomach would allow reflexively. Ebisu's eyes widened.

"It seems your worry wasn't wrong... Are you all right?"  
"Do I bloody_ look _all right? Something's _wrong_, I know it!" Naruto hissed, her voice whimpering towards the end of her sentence as anther stab spiked.

This time she let out an audible wince, attracting the attention of some of the other passengers. A red-eyed woman, seated opposite with a three year old of her own spoke up.

"Excuse me, I don't me to pry but how far along are you? Is your due date soon?" she asked politely, sounding concerned.  
"November... About ten, eleven day- Ow, Ow!" Naruto winced in reply.  
"You don't think...?" Ebisu asked the woman his eyes bulging a fraction.  
"It's probably just the early stages, but yes, I think so"

Naruto, who had been listening to the conversation, was not completely oblivious to their words but...

"But she was just kick-boxing! I thought contractions were more... worser!" she protested.

Naruto sincerely hoped the woman was wrong; she had no desire to give birth on a moving public transportation vehicle.  
The woman smiled at her.

"Contractions are the tightening of muscles in the uterus, and that can be slow; the little one probably didn't find that all too comfortable, even if you couldn't feel them" she explained.  
"B-But that means they started yesterday! I didn't even notice until about an hour ago!" Naruto panicked.

Oh god, she was going to give birth on a bus! On a bloody bus! She couldn't give birth on a bus! It was unsanitary! There were no buses on doctors! Sasuke and Sakura were at school! Oh god, _Sasuke_ was at _school!_

"Closet Perv, I don't wanna give birth on a bus!" Naruto whimpered.  
Closet Perv wasn't listening; he was busy talking to the old bus driver, perhaps hoping to get the man to step on the gas.

"I wouldn't worry; if they started that long ago there's a chance they'll last even longer," the woman said soothingly.  
"Longer?"

* * *

Sasuke pressed the lift button one. Then once again. Then several more times. Then he gave up and dashed back down the hallway towards the stairs instead. Several nurses gave him an angry look as he ran past but he could care less; He did hear Sakura receive a reprimand some distance behind him though.

He had been in the middle of physics when Dr. Onoki (the principal of his school) had appeared at the doorway and he had been told to gather his things. Confusion had reigned until Sakura had burst past the man and dragged him from the room yelling about buses and babies.

His first thought had been the hope to god that Naruto had not given birth on a bus; Sakura had assured him that she hadn't, but was in the hospital for that reason. Apparently she'd noticed something off during her tutoring session with Ebisu, and conned him into going with her to make sure everything was all right.

It had been nothing more than an increase in activity, but on the bus she'd started getting pains; one of the passengers had told her what was going on. If he wasn't so worried, and Naruto not in such a state, he would have contemplated killing her when he did find her; how did someone not notice they were having contractions? Surely any kind of pain this late in the game was a sure-fire indicator that labour was in progress?

He reached the maternity ward of the hospital after trawling up twelve flights of stairs (who thought up that bright idea?), but allowed himself to slow his pace if only to let Sakura's disgruntled expression catch up. He remembered feeling terrified the first time he'd set foot in this ward; that had been a little under nine months ago, and the feeling hadn't changed.

He was about to ask Sakura where they were supposed to start looking when a loud scream from one of the closed rooms caused the question to die in the back of his throat. It wasn't Naruto. It wasn't Naruto. It wasn't Naruto. He told himself those words over and over but he still felt like running for the hills; this was what he secretly called the nine months of hell was all for.

It didn't sound all that tremendous, or amazing; it sounded _painful_.  
"Sasuke! Wake up!"

Sakura's voice jolted him from his musings, and he didn't even bother to scowl as he followed her down the hall to the receptionist's desk. The moment Sakura said the words 'red-haired girl' the nurse at the desk pointed down the hall.

"Third door on the right, and I hope you do better than that man with the creepy little sunglasses" the paste-green haired girl said quickly, turning towards a ringing phone.

Finding the room was not difficult, and upon entering, Sasuke began to wonder what he had been worrying about; Naruto was standing at the window in the same dungarees (left unfastened) she had been wearing that morning, answering the random questions directed at her by Ebisu – that guy really too his job too seriously.

Then her face twisted, and she leaned her forehead onto the glass of the window, gripping the wooden framework with notable whiteness in her knuckles. More surprising was the hiss that escaped her lips for a few lingering moments before the pain seemed to pass. She sighed and stood back from the window, flopping onto the bed with disgruntlement. Sakura, growing tired of his freezing, barged past and went round to greet the girl and get a proper explanation on what had happened.

After a few moments, Sasuke recovered himself and followed her inside, closing the door behind him. Naruto glared at him out of the corner of her vision, and Sasuke wondered what had done to earn the look.

"This is all your fault!" she growled, pointing at her bulge and earning a snicker from Sakura; Sasuke was glad Ebisu took that moment to silently declare the tutoring lesson over, he didn't want him to see him being chewed out by Naruto's hormones.

"How so?" Sasuke asked, re-closing the door after Ebisu, and dropping his school bag onto the floor next to Sakura's.  
"_You_ forgot the bloody _condom_ is how!" Naruto crowed loudly.

Sasuke had wondered when _this_ conversation would be held, though he wondered if there was any point in having it now; he took the time to point this out to her too.

"You're a bit late to be bringing this up now" he said, taking a seat beside her on the edge of the bed.  
He noted that it was a bit comfier than the usual hospital bed.

Glancing around he noted that the room was a bit more above-par compared to other hospital rooms; he'd say it was one of the higher end private rooms, but he knew his parents – who had bullied Naruto into letting them cover the hospital fees – had not arranged for such a room. How did Naruto get a room like this?

"So you admit it!" Naruto cried triumphantly, jerking his thoughts back to the room's occupant.  
"I didn't say that, besides what kind of pills were you talking? I bet you didn't look at the use by date!" he retorted.

"Of course I checked the use-by date! I didn't make the damn things, so don't pin thi- Ow, Ow! Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow!" she ended the sentence with a low hiss and a grit of her teeth.

"How long have you been feeling them?" Sakura asked.  
"Uh, about two hours now? Not very long..." Naruto hissed out waiting for the pain to pass, bending forward and fisting her hands into the blankets she was sitting on.

"That's all? Ebisu said you'd been having them longer" Sakura frowned.  
"The little brat was moving since last night, but I wasn't having contractions till I got on the bus" Naruto grimaced, wrinkling her eyes closed.

Sasuke's hand crept over one of the slightly smaller ones fisting the sheets; Naruto gratefully entwined their fingers, even if the action didn't do anything to stop the physical discomfort.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

His parents arrived later in the day, along with Gaara and his brothers. Tsunade allowed them all into the room for half an hour before insisting that they leave – hospital rules stated only one birthing partner was to be present. Two at a very wide stretch.

So it was at nine pm that Sasuke was once again left alone with Naruto; Sakura had wanted to stay as well, but Naruto had bullied her into getting a good night's sleep. Sasuke knew from the amount of time this was taking that stubbornness had been one of the genes passed on by both of himself and Naruto – if stubbornness could be passed on as a gene – and he didn't like it.

Naruto was no longer moving around; she had retreated to the bed around five pm, but there didn't seem to be any further progress. Oh sure, Naruto was yelling more, and guzzling on the gas from some nozzle-dispenser, but the gaps between the contractions had barley decreased.

Considering the amount of time this had all been in progress, he would have thought that they would have a squalling infant in their lives. Births were always so fast on TV; he had never thought it could take this long.

He didn't know what was worse; waiting for the whole thing to be over with, or watching Naruto deal with the whole thing and not being able to do anything about it. He glanced towards the redhead; she was lying back with the gas nozzle in her mouth as she endured another tear of pain, sweating buckets.

He didn't really know what he was supposed to do in this situation; anything he said would go over the top of her head – she drifted in and out of awareness, but he couldn't really do anything to speed up the process either. He felt rather useless, and for some reason a little guilty.

Naruto was right - he _had_ forgotten the condom. He done the adding up of the dates, and finally found the guilty night that had caused all the trouble; Naruto and Sakura had organised a trip over the border into earth country to see a concert - it was one of his favourite bands, so he had been eager to go.

Sakura had booked a couple of cheap hotel rooms for an overnight stay, and tickets didn't come by easily - the only reason Naruto had gotten her hands on them was because of her luck with gambling. Since it was a short visit, he hadn't really been expecting anything, so he hadn't even thought to pack them before he dashed out the door.

It was stupid, but he felt like all the pain she was experiencing was _all his fault_; the knowledge that this was a normal part of the circle of life was not very reassuring, but he began to ritually repeat the knowledge every time one of the spasms screwed across her face. Circle of life. Normal. Circle of life. Normal. Circle of life. Normal.

The pain from one such spasm passed and she gave him a wan grin; Sasuke felt his gut twist. How could she still grin through all of this? All this pain? Was it even worth it? He wasn't so sure any more; Tsunade had mentioned that Naruto's frame would probably play a factor during the pregnancy, but what about labour?

She looked too pale and too tired; women on TV had always looked red faced, not pale. Or at least, not that pale. Tsunade had come in to check a few times since he had arrived, and her slight frown had slowly been deepening with each visit. It was even deeper now.

"How are you feeling brat?"

Speak of the devil.

"Do you have to ask old bat?" Naruto groaned, rising her head from the pillow in an attempt to glare at the woman.

Tsunade sighed as she closed the door behind her, crossing the room to the bed. She glanced over some of the monitors and charts before turning to Naruto; Sasuke pointed looked away when she checked under the sheets (he did _not_ want to see the specifics of checking that dileywhatsit.) she then turned with a serious face towards the two of them.

"I'm not going to lie all right? I'm not happy with how long this is taking; first pregnancies are usually longer, but you're premature by almost two weeks, you are not making a lot of progress, and your body isn't really built for a long labour. You've been at this stage for about 22 hours now, if your guess on the start is right, and you're _barley_ four centimetres dilated" she began, leaning against the side of the bed.

"22? But I didn't even notice it for most of the night... surely that doesn't count?" Naruto frowned wearily.

"Not really, but the length of time between the contractions is still worrying me given how long it has been since they really started; if there isn't any progress in the next couple of hours, then we may have to induce the labour ourselves; this beginning to get risky for both of you" She continued, grim expression etched onto her skin.

Exhaustion clouded the emotions splashing across Naruto's face.

* * *

"_How is she?"_ Sakura asked from the other end of the phone.

It was 3am. After almost another three hours, there still had been little to no progress – Tsunade had been in to check and left grumbling to herself about six centimetres and kick-starts three hours ago, and hadn't been to check up on her again yet. Sasuke had concerned himself with the necessaries of the pregnancy itself, but it had never occurred to him to do the same for the labour.

He had no clue what she was talking about; Naruto seemed to but when he had asked she'd told him he was better off not knowing. Sasuke was torn between believing her, and asking Tsunade for some clarification.

"I don't know; pale, really pale, but I don't know to be honest. Tsunade is worried about it taking so long though. She said the might have to-"

He saw the doctor herself heading towards the room his girlfriend was in with a mint-green haired nurse. Or was it midwife? It didn't really matter; the presence of another member of the medical staff sounded al sorts of alarms to him.

"Sorry Sakura; Tsunade just came back, I have to go"  
_"All right; tell her Gaara's cleaning. That'll cheer her up"_ Sakura laughed wearily.

It cheered him up – Gaara was something of a racoon with his eating habits (he never seemed to _stop_ eating sometimes) but cleaning was another matter. He only cleaned when he was stressed or worried – it was as if he thought hoovering was the solution to all the world's problems

Sasuke promised to pass on the message before hanging up and heading back to the small room. Upon entering, Tsunade introduced the midwife by the name Fuu, before giving his irate girlfriend another exam, mumbling words like 'taking too long', before turning her professional eye towards both of them.

"I've already told you that this is taking much longer than I like, and while I had hoped otherwise, were going to have to induce labour – if that doesn't convince your muscles to start contacting a bit more, we'll have to take you in for a caesarean" she stated.

Naruto turned several sages of green, but that may have just been the baby in her belly jostling her stomach. Either way, the notion wasn't a good one – Sasuke had read about caesarean births being fatal, or only being used in emergencies when a baby's heartbeat couldn't be heard...

"There's nothing wrong with the sproglet, the heartbeat is strong, she just _refuses_ to move; I'm worried about Naruto. This has already taken a lot out of her, and the longer we wait for her to reach ten centimetres naturally, the more pressure on her body there will be"

Sasuke nodded in time with Naruto; it was like the woman could read his mind, even if the news wasn't any better than his imagination had been.

"We're going to break the amniotic sac; with any luck it will encourage the contractions to come on with a little more speed" the green haired midwife informed Naruto.

"Amni-whosit?" Naruto asked; she seemed to be more coherent than she had been a few moments ago.  
Sasuke presumed that was because the contractions had faded for the moment.

"We're going to break your waters for you since, since they aren't breaking as quickly as they should naturally" Tsunade clarified.

Naruto looked a bit alarmed and Sasuke couldn't help but mirror the look himself; didn't the waters break close to the hard part, the actual birth itself? But he thought that took longer! No, wait, they were doing that because it was taking too long! He didn't particularly like the sound of any of it, but Sasuke felt rather useless and confused about the whole thing; taking the safe road, he nodded along with Naruto.

"Remember when I said I was going to kill you at that pre-natal class?" Naruto growled at her boyfriend through gritted teeth; Sasuke had the good sense to look paler than usual as he nodded.

"I _lied_; I'm going to castrate you with a blunt spoon _first!_" she hissed, fumbling for the gas dispensing nozzle once again.

Tsunade had warned her that the experience would be more painful than it would be naturally, and Naruto quickly discovered she had not been joking; she swore particularly colourfully when the green-haired nurse pushed down on her stomach to help kick-start the process itself.

Sasuke had almost had a conniption fit until Tsunade had explained why the girl was man-handling the blonde, but he had calmed down once it was over and the two had left the room. Naruto had grumbled for a long time until a contraction appeared again.

After that, they had startedcoming in thick and fast. Sasuke's hand hadn't left her own for some time know (though he did seem nervous about looking her in the eye) and she was grateful for that now.

His horrible attempts at jokes gave her something to distract her a little; it was a comfort.

* * *

After two more hours of waiting 5am arrived; Tsunade and Fuu re-entered, and Naruto couldn't help but think that it was about time; the midwife gave her one brief exam before relief crossed her face. Naruto saw said relief, and for some reason, felt a little bit of fear.

"Finally; Naruto, I want you to start pushing on the next contraction – you've finally got to ten centimetres" she smiled; Naruto didn't really notice.

Ah, that was why she felt a smidgen of fear; she'd have to push the little brat out. How did she do that again? Shizune had never really explained that part too well... She felt Tsunade pushing her legs apart, then the contraction; she a small half hearted attempt at pushing, certain she had broken Sasuke's hand hand the process. After one taste of the tearing sensation, she decided she preferred the contractions. She hadn't even been trying and it had been hellish!

"Naruto, come on, you can do better than that! You don't want to have a caesarean do you?" Fuu chided.

That was the one where they cut you up wasn't it? That appealed even less than labour. In fear of butchery, the moment She felt the next contraction rip and tear through her she instinctively began to react; she still didn't really understood the pushing concept – what was she supposed to push _with?_ - but Tsunade and Fuu were encouraging, so she guessed she was doing it right.

She was aware of Sasuke hovering beside her – had it been any other time and pain hadn't clouded her mind, she would have laughed at him. She could hear encouraging words from the other two occupants, and Sasuke's fingers crushed her own silently. She tried again, and shifted on the bed as something – she assumed the baby - seemed to mover further down inside her.

Shit that was horrible; it was painful and agony and sheer exhaustion all rolled into one, and she felt like she was going to crap on the bed! Or had she already? She couldn't tell – the tormenting torture was too busy occupying her mind to know. More prompting from Tsunade and the green haired girl wiping her forehead. Sasuke, she didn't really know – he seemed to have turned into a statue of some kind.

Stupid bloody spineless scardey-cat...

Another tearing sensation, and she pushed again; oh sweet fire and water and every other damn country! That was the smartest one yet! She could feel something still tearing through her even though the contraction was all done! She couldn't keep this up. She couldn't! So what if she was biologically engineered to cope with this? She felt like she was being torn apart.

"I can't..." she mumbled, shaking her head weakly.  
"Don't say that Naruto; just a couple more pushes! The baby's already crowning" Fuu objected encouragingly.

Crowning? Didn't that mean they could see the head? That would be the thing that kept tearing then. Naruto shook her head; she couldn't do it. It was impossible. She couldn't push a baby out of her own body; it was physically impossible! All this pain was a sure fire indicator of that! It was like fitting an elephant through a mouse hole! So what if she was biologically engineered for this? It was still impossible!

Sasuke's face crossed into her line of vision, brushing her sweat drenched fringe from her eyes as the scrunched and twisted in reaction to another searing tear ripped through her. She didn't try to push that time, instead shaking her head wearily. Sasuke took her head in his hands and forced her to look at him, albeit with weary exhaustion. She was glad to see he looked as out of his depth as she felt discomfort.

"She's your family remember? _Real_ family, and she isn't getting out unless _you_ push or let them butcher you" He kissed her forehead, brushing her fringe from her eyes again; he was probably unheard by the other two women, but his words had dragged some life back into her.

She'd completely forgotten that; on the next crash of chronic tearing, she forced her own will onto it – get out, get out, get out. The reminder had given lease to a previously unnoticed source of energy, and she obeyed the instructions of the two doctors as a fresh, more intense tearing bit into her. She persevered though; no way was she letting those scalpels near her stomach.

Something was forced out – she was certain of that; the stinging pain was enough for her to let out an almost scream instead of trying to keep the complaining noise under wraps. Fuu began looking around frantically for something on top of a stack of wheely-trays behind her.

Tsunade pushed her legs further apart and she felt Sasuke tighten his grip on her fingers; she couldn't see since her eyes were crumpled closed again, but she was certain his face was close to her own by the feel of warm breath on her neck.

"One more push Naruto; just one more for the body all right? Just one"

One more? That hadn't been enough? How much more of this did she have to put up with? She felt the same pressure once again and followed up on it. It topped the others by far; if prizes could be given to contractions for sheer pain induction, this would have stole the first place ribbon by miles. Unlike the others, it seemed to wane though, as if the entire agonizing process was coming to an end.

She let out a final loud hiss of unbearable discomfort before she felt something being removed. Then it was all over, and she fell back onto the pillows wearily; all she wanted to do was sleep. A loud wailing rang out behind Sasuke's voice as she slipped into black exhaustion. The last thing she saw was the clock on the wall - it was exactly 6am.

After twenty seven hours of hell, Naruto passed into unconsciousness.

* * *

_**And thus the reason this story has an M rating without a lemon. I improvised a lot for this and read wikipedia back to front and upside down. I've been asking my mother about the cravings and stuff, but there wasn't a bat's chance in hell I was asking her about those details. Thought the pushing on the stomach thing, I admit, I did hear about. But nothing else! That would just be so weird and wrong and... urgh.**_

_**I didn't take biology - if any part of that is bull crap, humor me or tell me how to achieve the same effect within the laws of humanity. For some reason I want to defend my OOC Fugaku from chapter one; The Uchiha were family loyal, I mean, how much more family-loyal could you get? Fugaku and Mikoto were conspiring mutiny, Itachi killed them all for Ssasuke... you get the point.**_

_**My AU translation of that is that Fugaku and Mikoto would be totally against something like abortion, and would probably view people who put kids into adoption if there was even the slight possibility of looking after it themselves as the scum of the earth. They wouldn't see adoptive parents as a proper replacement for real parents either, even if they think of naruto as almost their own kid in this.**_

_**That's also why Fugaku wont let go of the 'Sai Thing', but you'll find out about that next chapter. **_  
_**:D Ha! Clifhanger! If you liked, you know the drill...**_

_**Nat.**_  
_**xxx**_


	4. Nine Days

**THE DICHOTOMY OF ****FAMILY AND GENETICS**

* * *

Naruto never though much about her own family – her background never seemed important to her; a moments carelessness meant she got one whether she wanted one or not. All of a sudden, she finds herself missing what she had never had, and what she had never missed, before. SasuNaru (FemNaru), slight GaaSaku, ShikaIno, KakaRin, JiraTsu, MinaKushi, & YahiKonan.

* * *

**CHAPTER IV  
~ NINE DAYS ~

* * *

**

Your baby blues,  
So full of wonder,  
Your curly cue's,  
Your contagious smile,  
And as I watch,  
You start to grow up,  
All I can do is hold you tight...

* * *

"Naruto!"

Sasuke began to give the red-haired girl a gentle shake of the shoulders, feeling panic rising in his gut; all those horror stories he'd read on the internet when he first began taking an interest in his child were flashing into his mind; paralysis and death by far and away the worst. He felt someone pulling her away and turned to face the blonde midwife herself.

"What happened? What's wrong with her?" he demanded quickly.

The woman forced him into the chair beside the bed before turning to Naruto and checking her pulse breathing and all manner of other things as Fuu fumbled with the small infant wailing in the background. Sasuke watched as she seemed to breathe easier, and moved to remove the stained, messy sheets Naruto was slumbering atop.

Sasuke repeated his question again as Tsunade replaced the sheets with some new ones; Naruto had been lying on top of the covers rather than the mattress itself, and it was easier to just pull them out and replace them over her than move her to another bed. Tsunade tucked town the corners, brushing Naruto's fringe from her eyes almost nostalgically before turning to face him.

"Sasuke, if you have to ask what happened, you'd better hope to god your daughter gets her mother's brains; Naruto's just given birth. I can guarantee from personal experience it's enough to turn the liveliest girl into an exhausted mess for a while. She was a little on the petite side in the first place, so given her age and the length of time this took, she's entitled to feeling a little konked out" she replied with a grin.

She turned to Fuu, who was approaching them both with a small pink wrapped bundle that seemed to have calmed down since it's rather uncomfortable welcome to the world. He reached forward even as he shrunk back in alarm as Fuu handed the mass of flesh and blankets to him. He looked down at the tiny girl and gave her face a critical eye.

She was a clone of her mother in more than her lungs, apparently. She had blue eyes, but those weren't guaranteed to stay just yet, and she had a small fuzzy patch of red hair; she had his face shape though, and nose – he'd seen pictures of himself and his brothers as babies, and his daughter had a very similar structure. She didn't seem very impressed with him if the squashed baby glare on her features was anything to go by.

He couldn't honestly say she was exactly pretty; she looked more like a wrinkled red sausage with eyes than anything else, but holding such a tiny person was breathtaking in and of itself. The fact that the tiny red sausage was his tiny person – his and Naruto's – was even more amazing. Holding her took a little getting used to, and she fussed for several minuets before he finally had hold of her in a position that was comfortable – he guessed he had the guidance of Tsunade to thank for that. He didn't dare try to move with her – instead remaining firmly planted on the chair; he was terrified he would drop her.

She fidgeted into sleep, and her fist latched onto his pinkie as he dangled it over the edge of the blanket towards her; it just managed to clamp around the thin digit of skin and bone. God, she was so small! He'd thought she would have been bigger from the size Naruto's belly had been, but Tsunade claimed that wasn't unusual. He'd also been certain the baby would have been a boy; Naruto would be unbearably smug when she woke up.

Naruto had first felt their daughter moving around as the muscles inside her began to contract on the early hours of the 29th, she'd begun to feel actual pain yesterday afternoon, and she had finally given birth only a few minuets ago. It was now 6am – Halloween. 27 hours of what had looked like nothing but a lot of pain and discomfort, even if the result had been completely different

Thinking about it that way, he wasn't about to wake her; she fully deserved to sleep as much as she wanted to. He should probably call his parents and Sakura, but he didn't want to leave the room; aside from the fascination with his tiny daughter, he wanted to be in the room when Naruto woke up.

* * *

Eventually, he had to leave the room, on Tsunade's orders. Apparently he had been turning into a vampire, and had been forced to go find a drink of something containing energy. He thought it would be more useful for Naruto to get the energy drink in a drip or something, but he wasn't going to argue with the monster of a woman; she'd whacked the back of his head when he hesitated, and he just knew she had been restraining herself.

Tsunade also wanted to take the little girl into the neonatal ward for a proper check up since she was almost two weeks early. Not deeming it a very wise thing to argue with a midwife, he let her do what she wanted and headed out into the hallway. After swilling back some disgusting black coffee tasting more like diesel from a vending machine near the phones, he picked up the receiver, inserted his money and dialled the number.

He didn't have to wait very long for the phone to be snatched from the hook like an Osprey snatching a fish from the sea.

_"What happened? Is she all right? Is it over? Do I owe Itachi money? Is your hand broken? Why didn't you call earli-"  
"Obito, get off the phone! You're just getting in the way!"  
"Shut up Pinky! I'm family, I take prece- Dude, don't glare at me like that!"  
"Then don't talk to my girlfriend like that." _

Gaara? Gaara was at his house? Gaara never came to his house – he found Obito too annoying.

_"Fine! Just stop the glar-" _

There was some shouting as his father removed the phone from Obito's grasp, and Itachi's voice came onto the end of the phone instead.

_"Sorry Sasuke, they're a little strung out"_  
"_They're_ strung out?"

Sasuke snorted incredulously; those poor people. How horrible it must have been to sit and wait for his girlfriend to tear herself apart and to exhaust herself to the point of unconsciousness. Really. It sounded absolutely terrible.

_"Yes well, we haven't had much information; Mother is already on her way up. You should be glad she forbade the others from joining her."_  
"I am..." Sasuke replied with as much sincerity as he could muster – it wasn't much, perhaps more diesel was in order.

_"Well?"_  
"Oh, right, tell Obito he owes you money – Naruto was right, a girl."  
_"I knew it – that'll teach the idiot to make bets... What time did she go into labour? Sakura told us she hadn't started this morning..."_  
"About five I think, it was six by the time it was all over; they had to induce though. I think if it had been any later Tsunade would have had her in the surgery room"

He couldn't see, but he knew Itachi was sombrely nodding along to what he was saying; he could hear Sakura and Obito demanding more information.

_"How's Naruto?"_  
"Dead to the world; she fell asleep a few seconds after the whole mess was done."  
_"I can imagine; how long was she in labour altogether?"_  
"Start to finish, 27 hours, but the actual labour bit was only about an hour"

Itachi relayed the information, and he heard Sakura's loud squeal of delight through the phone, though he was certain that she was some distance from it. He smirked when he heard Obito's wail of despair at the news of loosing his money.

Sasuke was panicking; he was not usually prone to panic, but the situation he found himself in was one where panic fell on even the oldest of grown men; soothing a crying baby for the first time.

* * *

His daughter had been quiet and sleepy for a couple of hours, but about five minuets ago she had jerked awake. She had stared at him for a few moments, making small fussing noises, before opening her mouth, swallowing a large amount of air, and begun to scream and bawl her little lungs out at a pitch that rivalled those reached by her mother.

He stood frozen to the spot on the verge of giving up; he had fed her after Tsunade had brought her back from her check up under the woman's supervision, and he didn't think digestion took two hours, even for a baby. Besides, he had checked, and she didn't need changing. Burping was out because she'd already done that earlier – he wished he had listened when Tsunade told him to put a towel on his shoulder.

He had tried feeding her again, but she had batted the bottle of formulated milk from his hand with the slap of her strong but tiny hands. He had rubbed circles on her back, and after checking to make sure no one was going to sneak up on him he had even made that shushing movement, the jiggly one. Nothing worked.

He stared at the ceiling, silently begging divine intervention as the wailing infant tugged on his hair violently – oh yes, she was definitely Naruto's kid. He glanced to his girlfriend, hoping she was going to miraculously awaken with all the noise. Weren't women supposed to be good with babies? If Naruto woke up, maybe she'd be able to tell what was wrong...

No – Naruto needed sleep. He could figure this out on his own. He glanced back at the squalling girl in his arms; he checked her temperature again with the back of one hand. She was not too cold, and despite her angry red face, she wasn't hot either. He racked his brains as the baby squirmed in his hold, trying to think of something that could be wrong.

"Sasuke, you're not holding her properly!"

Sasuke whirled to the doorway to find his mother moving swiftly across the room towards him; relief flooded him almost instantly as she took the baby from him, and he caught the slight difference in the way her arms held his daughter.

"It wasn't much, but her head was a little unsupported, and she needs that at the moment" his mother explained.

Sasuke nodded vigorously, drinking up the information his mother was supplying him with. She went on to tell him the little human could probably sense his own unease in holding her, and that was probably what started the fussing in the first place. He felt terrible for a moment, and then she told him his father had the same problem when his brothers had been born.

He watched as his mother made a much more practised shushing motion, with fewer jigs than his own; his fascination turned to alarm when she handed the baby back to him with a smile.

"Don't bounce her so much – you're wobbling her head all over the place" she instructed as he warily took over the motion; he made the correction, and she smiled approvingly, taking a seat in one of the chairs ion the room.

"Itachi called me on the way over; did Tsunade say anything about how long it would take her to wake up?" she asked, keeping an eye on him as he moved about, gently calming the tiny girl – he seemed to be having a little more success now.

"She just said she would need a lot of it – even I could tell it was really hard on her, and I can't even take an aspirin without checking the label three times" he mumbled, not wanting to make any loud noises. His daughter was making a yawning face now, and he was eager to get her back to sleep. He liked seeing her awake, but he'd had enough of awake an hour or so ago.

Mere moments after the thought entered his head, the baby's eyes drooped closed, and her quiet breathing filled the air instead. She curled towards him in her sleep a little as he made to put her back in the mobile incubator-bed thing, her tiny fists gripping his shirt, and felt the alarm rising again.

"Well, it seems you've passed her test, which is more than I can say for you; you wouldn't let your father near you for two weeks, and he had an idea of what he was doing" his mother joked quietly.

Sasuke sent her a pleading glance that would not have seen by anyone other than Naruto.

"Just sit back down you goose – she'll let go eventually."

Sasuke sat down in the chair beside her, doing his best not to disturb the little girl, though it probably didn't matter – another of Naruto's influences was showing in her. She was completely oblivious to the world now. He envied that ability to fall asleep almost immediately; he sometimes lay awake till early morning, tossing and turning as he waited for sleep to come.

"I thought she'd never stop crying" he said, letting out a low, hushed expulsion of breathy relief.

His mother smiled at him with the beginnings of s smirk.  
"It's good that you tried everything you could think of, but sometimes babies just need to cry"

Sasuke stared at her in disbelieving horror.

_"Pardon?"_  
"Think of it as sulking, but noisy, or the way Naruto throws that toy fox of hers at her wardrobe when she's frustrated; babies can't really shout, or move very much, so they cry instead. Sometimes you'll just have to let it pass."

Sasuke stared at her, then at the baby he held; he hoped to god the girl wasn't a sulker, because he didn't know if he could just let noise like that pass. She was too loud! People would complain! He suddenly became very aware of the daunting burden floating around them with startling clarity; he got the feeling that patience was a key part of being a parent and that was not very reassuring.

Neither he nor Naruto were very patient people in the first place, and babies – he was realising after only a few hours of being a parent - required a lot of patience. No wonder all those older couples had looked down their noses at them at the pre-natal class; their disapproval had nothing to do with their physical age as he had thought.

All things considered, if a couple could get pregnant at their age, then physically there was no denying they were ready for it. The disapproval came from the emotional side – he hadn't even considered the amount of patience he would have to drag up, and he was getting flashes of other things now too; his daughters crying had demanded every ounce of his attention.

He hadn't had an inch of space to concern himself with anything else – if he did, it had been in the context of stopping whatever her discomfort had been. Apparently, babies demanded infinite amounts of attention. He glanced down at the girl, who was still curled towards his chest looking rather contented in her pink blanket.

She looked very small, and he reminded himself of how easy it had been to cause her discomfort; his mother had altered the position of her arms by mere millimetres it seemed in comparison to his own. He had a radically clearer understanding of how easy it was for a baby to be hurt, even minorly.

He suddenly felt suffocated by the terrifying prospect in front of him, and it must have shown on his face, because his mother placed an arm around his shoulders, careful to avoid squashing her granddaughter. He leaned his forehead onto her shoulder for a few moments, welcoming the reassurance that everything would work out eventually, before letting up.

He took another glance down at his daughter, and concentrated on her instead of the new worries they would now have to add to their others; focusing on the tiny sleeping red-haired girl, he felt something else smothering him as she shuffled closer again in her sleep. That minuscule, unconscious action was enough for him to believe that despite the terror she brought with her, it wouldn't be as bad as he had first thought. "Damn it, why couldn't you have been a boy?" Obito complained, giving Sasuke's daughter a petulant glare.

* * *

The little girl ignored him in favour of the bottle of formula milk Sakura was feeding her. She had immediately snapped up the job when they had arrived the day after his mother's visit, most likely so she wouldn't be obliged to offer assistance with other, smellier, messier tasks that still scared Sasuke. Itachi rolled his eyes at the antics of his twin.

"stop making that face at her; she'll get your bad habits" Sakura snapped.  
"Both of you stop it – Sasuke's still sleeping" Itachi interrupted, throwing a pointed glance to the youngest Uchiha.

Sasuke was slumped in one chair, his head lolling onto one shoulder, barley snoring. Unbeknownst to him, that had been the reason for the visit today; since Naruto had fallen into her own sleep he had been up almost 36 extra hours on top of those spent waiting for the whole process to start.

The moment Itachi had entered the room, he had taken charge and forced him to give his daughter to someone else for a few moments, and sit down. It had taken little more than three minuets for him to fall asleep. He didn't argue that Naruto had done most of the work, but Sasuke tended to forget about his own health when he worried, or had other pressing matters to worry about.

Sakura blushed sheepishly, and laid the baby back down in the cot. Itachi gave the baby a contemplative glance; she was a nice baby, he decided. She only screamed her lungs out when something was incredibly wrong – even when she needed changing she only made loud fussing noises. He hoped that meant his niece had his brother's brains – Naruto wasn't stupid, but she forgot to think things through sometimes.

He turned back to the gruesome twosome at the sound of noise; Gaara sat in the chair beside Sasuke, blocking the mayhem out with Naruto's music player, and the other two had started arguing again. Why couldn't those two just communicate like normal people? What on earth were they arguing about now?

"Can you keep your voices down?" he grumbled, a warning tone in his voice that went completely unnoticed.

After one particularly loud protest from Obito, any hope of letting Sasuke get any more shut eye was thrown out of the window; he jerked awake mumbling about plugs, looking around in alarm. Itachi wasn't worried about Naruto being woken before she had gotten enough of her own rest – the fact she could sleep through her daughter's screaming was proof she was completely oblivious to their presence.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke asked the terrible two, a glare that raised even Itachi's eyebrows own his face; Sakura and Obito paled, and their mouths instantly closed.

"How are you feeling?" Itachi asked, ignoring the other two once again.

Sasuke grunted in reply; he couldn't say he was pleased that his brother had forced him into sleep (not that there had been much forcing), but he did feel a lot better for the rest. It was an improvement on the short burst he had been living off from the diesel-machine further down the corridor. He glanced down at the baby, and noted that her eyes were still blue.

They had dimmed in colour to a steely grey blue, but flecks of Naruto's aquamarine ones cold still be seen if he caught them in the right kind of light. He was certain that none of his relatives had blue eyes, but Naruto's were a complete mystery. Blue eyes were not common in fire country, and Naruto had gotten hers from someone.

He guessed that his daughter had too – if they didn't continue to darken that was. She stared up at him before a flicker of something crossed her face and she flapped her arms towards his face, clenching and unclenching her fingers expectantly. She gurgled when he picked her up, and immediately tugged on the hair hang on the side of his face.

"That's so cute! She recognises you! She knows you're her daddy!" Sakura piped in delight.  
"Actually, babies will accept care from just about anyone this young – they won't develop central relationships like that until they get a bit older"

Sakura glared at Obito.  
"Shut up; we all know you have a psychology degree. You didn't have to ruin the moment!" she snapped.

Sasuke ignored them once again, trying to gently unclench his daughters fist – the tugging really was painfully uncomfortable, and while he was all for keeping the little girl entertained, he'd rather it did not involve tugging his hair out strand by strand. The noise, he was going to have to do something about – He didn't want Naruto waking up before she was ready to.

He cast a calculating glance over the girl, check for any adverse effect from exposure to the two loons who had fallen into yet another argument. He couldn't see any, but he couldn't be sure – he was probably over-reacting a little from waking up, but there was probably a reason people said babies and children were impressionable. He liked Sakura, and he grudgingly admitted that Obito wasn't al that bad, but together they were a terror. He couldn't have them making the midget a terror too.

In his still-sleepy mind, his reasoning made perfect sense, so he proceeded to follow the train of thought.

"Out."

Obito and Sakura protested loudly when they were ordered from the room, but Itachi seemed to be having the same train of thought, and he let an expulsion of relief when his older brother all but man handles them from the room. A happy gurgling came from the little girl, and he wondered if she was returning the sentiments.

* * *

He glanced down again, and fount her gumming her fingers in fascination – maybe not. Sighing, he crossed to the window and stared out at the city, trying to distract himself. Tsunade had told him not to worry about Naruto's lack of awareness, but he didn't feel right experiencing these moments by himself. As far as he had believed, this was supposed to be a joint thing right now. That was what he had been inadvertently taught by his own parents at any rate.

He knew what Naruto would have done – she would have yelled curses at them and thrown them out herself, the grinned at him as soon as they were gone. He looked back down at his daughter and frowned; if he hadn't seen pictures of himself as a baby, he wouldn't have been able to tell he had played any part in making her. He hoped her eye's kept darkening. It was all well and good she had his baby-nose, but that wasn't exactly easy to pick out, or to comment on.

There was a knock at the door, and he turned to find the paediatrician standing in the doorway. He guessed that meant it was time for the girl to go back to the baby ward; much to his displeasure he was not free to hold onto her as much as he wanted to. He laid her back down in the incubator, and the man grinned at him.

"You can come pick her up again in a couple of hours; I want to run a couple more tests just to make sure we haven't missed anything – it's standard stuff" he smiled, grinning widely.

Sasuke was taken aback for a moment – it was the first time he had actually spoken to the man himself. Tsunade had told him most of the details, but she had other patients. It was therefore the first time he saw the grin, and found himself shaking off familiarity. He shook the feeling off nonchalantly, feeling more concerned with the tests people kept talking about.

"What kind of tests? Do you mean those bone marrow things?" he asked, trying to think of medical dramas he had seen on TV.

"What? Oh no! Nothing that serious! We're just going to give her immune system another check, her vitamin levels, make sure everything's doing what it should. She was doing fine yesterday, so I don't think you have anything to worry about – I just prefer to be safe than sorry."

Sasuke relaxed a little – he had never liked the look of those bone tests, and knowing he was just over reacting was a relief.

"You can come by to visit you know; don't be such a stranger kid" he grinned again, and Sasuke caught a look at his eyes – once again he shook off familiarity, avoiding the man's gaze to cast a sidelong glance at his still slumbering girlfriend.

The man left, taking the incubator containing the baby with him, and Sasuke plopped down at the edge of the bed Naruto slept in; her stomach was almost completely flat now, after almost two days since the baby's birth. One of the nurses – the green haired one possibly – had pulled the tangles out of her hair, and her skin was no longer as pale as it had been. That was probably good.

He felt a yawn threatening to fight free from his throat, but gritted his teeth, felling it build up in his tear ducts instead – he hated yawning, even if there was no-one in the room to see his sleepiness. He was doing a heck of a lot better than Naruto was. That being said, he still felt like he was going to collapse; not caring if his actions would earn him remonstrations from Tsunade later, he laid down on the few inches of space atop the covers beside Naruto.

With a last glance at her sleeping face, he quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Naruto felt something slumped beside her, and she could feel someone's warm breath on her face. For a few brief moments, she though she was back at the flat she shared with Sakura, or at Sasuke's house (she didn't question the identity of the lump – no one else had the stupidity to try it). Then she felt the significant absence of the little tyke that had been playing havoc with her insides for the past nine months.

Holy crap on a cracker! Eyed open wide, she tried to jerk herself upright, but even on the few inches of the hospital bed he had stolen, Sasuke still managed to flail in his sleep. An arm was spread over her flatter belly, and while she was awake, she didn't feel like running any marathons in the near future. With a glare at Sasuke, she pushed against his shoulder with one hand.

She frowned at the abnormal amount of effort the action required, but his precarious position on the edge of the bed made up for any misgivings – slowly he slumped towards the edge of the bed, hanging over it till the change of mass balance was subjected to gravity, and he fell with a clatter to the floor. There was a startled yelp, and he jerked up.

He looked around in confusion before finally catching sight of her; Naruto almost laughed at him when his jaw dropped in uncharacteristic blatancy, but she was too busy wondering where her daughter had disappeared to. There was no sign of her in the room, which she didn't like. Didn't doctors leave babies with their parents when they could?

"You're awake" Sasuke stated fragment of his relief in his voice.

Naruto ignored him, busy glancing around the room till she was distracted by the feeling of being pulled into a restrained but still crushing embrace. Hello Joe, what was this? Why the sudden display of affection? She let the surprise pass and basked in the rare display for a few moments, returning it before turning back to the matter at hand.

"What happened? Where is she?"

She kept her questions short and to the point, but they still seemed to come out in a garbled rush, as if they were all part of one long word – how Sasuke managed to differentiate between them was beyond her.

"Tsunade says you were just sleeping, but you were out for a day and a half" he informed her; Naruto nodded to indicate her brain was processing the information.

"Where is she?" she asked immediately, wanting to get to her primary concern.

If the damn kid wasn't in the pink of health after all that gut wrenching work, then she would be having serious issues with someone – she wasn't quite sure who that would be, but someone would face her wrath if their was one molecule of skin out of place on her daughters tiny face. It felt odd to feel so protective about someone she had yet to meet face to face, but she ignored that thought.

"On the baby ward – the doctors want to give her a few routine checks since she was early, but they let her out for a few hours in a mobile incubator each day."

Before she could ask, he had already picked up one of the hospital dressing gowns on the end of her bed and handed it to her. She swung her feet over the edge slowly as she pulled it on – she felt like her bones had been sucked dry, but she didn't want to wait for a mobile incubator. She bit her lip for a few moments before swallowing her pride and stretching out her hands pointedly.

She was glad for the lack of usual satirical comment as Sasuke helped her to her feet. She gripped his arm till her knuckled turned white, feeling one arm around her waist as she shuffled slowly out of the room. She kept her eyes on the signs, and occasionally Sasuke's direction, instead of the throbbing ache in her lower abdomen.

Damn it, she was not doing that hellish process ever again.

Sasuke gently steered her around one corner, and she caught sight of a windowed wall in the new hallway they had walked into. Heading for the glass, her pace quickened to that of a normal walking speed – it definitely smarted, but again the pain was ignored. Pressing her face up against the glass she scanned her eyes around rows of incubators that greeted them.

She immediately eliminated the bundles of green and blue – those were probably boys – and concentrated on the pink and purple ones. The labels were no use – they still didn't have a name for the little tyke yet – and she didn't really know what kind of identifying features she was looking for.

"Which one is she?" she asked, her eyes still almost in contact with the glass itself as they darted around the rows – her fist clenched on Sasuke's upper arm as a painful wave of tiredness crept slowly through her, but she gritted her teeth. She was not leaving till she had seen her daughter damn it all.

Sasuke glanced at her hand, and then sighed in resignation before turning to the rows of babies him; he scanned for a few moments before recognition flickered onto his face.

"...That's her."

He pointed to a red haired baby on the second row from the window; her pink cover clashed horribly with it, and her limbs shifted in her sleep, filling every inch of the incubator. She seemed to be asleep, but Naruto was transfixed. Bother her hands pressed up against the glass, as if trying to phase through it as she leaned forward, trying to get a better look at her daughter.

"Damn, she has my hair – I wanted her to have black hair" Naruto whispered, feeling something beginning to make a choke in her words as she stared at the little girl. That was her daughter, and she had the same bight, rusty cadmium hair as she did. There was something incredible about that for some reason. There was no questioning who she was, or who – in Obito's words – her 'mama' was.

"Why?" Sasuke asked, in response to her short whisper.

"Cuz black goes with anything – I don't like pink, but I'd liked to have had the option of wearing it. It looks awful with red hair like this..." she gestured absently to her unusually free flowing hair – someone had unfastened her bunches at some point. The remark was not very strong; despite Naruto's complaints about her hair colour it looked absolutely perfect on the little girl.

Sasuke gave a small, quiet grunt in reply before going quiet again.

Naruto was beginning to grow frustrated with the glass – she wanted to go in a pick her up, but the room looked so hospital-y and official and anti-germ that she wondered if she would be able to. She couldn't keep standing her forever, much as the thought appealed to her at the moment. Another shot of pain and weariness spiked through her, as if to reinforce the notion.

"Sasuke, can we go in?" she asked, looking up towards him.

Much to her surprise, he was gone; she blinked and looked around. She usually notice things like that; she had been so absorbed in the little red-head that she hadn't even notice him taking his arm from her waist, and the sudden lack of support it had provided. Her legs felt heavier, and she wondered how she had missed it. Her daughter shuffled in her sleep, and dragged her eyes back to peering through the glass.

She didn't know how long she stood there waiting, but it passed in a blur; her eyes were transfixed on the tiny human on the other side of the glass. It must have been at least ten minuets, because she could absently feel her legs getting heavier and heavier. She gripped the seam where the glass joined the wall with as much grip as she could when she felt herself getting close to her limit.

She would not be beaten by something as menial as exhaustion; she was going to stand there all day if she had to. She could do it without any complaint too. Much to her irritation, her personal opinions didn't seem to be considered, and she hissed a low curse as she felt her legs give out, clawing at the almost invisible sill on the window with her fingers for support.

The impact she had been expecting didn't come - someone caught her before it could come. She knew immediately that it was not Sasuke, and angled her head to get a view of her apparent rescuer.

The man had blonde hair, blue eyes, and looked both familiar and surprised. He stared at her for a few moments, before the surprise dissipated a little. Naruto let out a shriek when, without any warning, he picked her up and carried her down the hallway. Dear god, she looked like a freaking defenceless damsel being carried like this!

"Hey, what the hell are you doing mister? Put me down before I rip your ears off bozo!" she demanded, trying to wriggle out of his hold. She tried glaring at him, but even the Mikoto-glare didn't work on him. He continued to carry her down the hallway.

"I was busy you ass! Take me back to the baby room! I swear to god, I'll set Sasuke on you! I'll tell him you groped me! He'll kill you y'know! He's possessive! For the love of god, put me down you yellow-headed weirdo before I-"

Her vocalisations stopped as the man deposited her in a wheelchair. Naruto stared at her new surroundings in shock, before looking back at the man her jaw dropped in confusion. He said nothing for a few moments, waiting for her brain to catch up; Naruto's faced paled, and she felt panic rising.

"Holy mackerel... I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it, I swear! I mean, I did then, but-"

She was cut off by a burst of laughter from the man - he almost doubled over. Naruto felt a flush as bright as her hair creeping up to her cheeks, and buried her head in her hands, feeling rather foolish.

The man didn't seem to take her seriously - in fact he was still chuckling to himself as he took the back handles of the chair and pushed her back towards the glass. Eventually he calmed down enough to introduce himself.

"I'm Dr. Namikaze; I'm the head of paediatrics around here. I've been looking after your daughter; my mother asked me to keep an eye on her. I've been bringing her back and forth to your room, so I recognised you. It's nice to see you up and about - if anything it'll be some new conversation. Your boyfriend isn't much of a talker is he?"

Naruto shook her head dumbly; she could feel the grin on his face even before she looked up at him in surprise.

"You're Tsunade's son?" she asked, her eyes widening - she knew that one of Tsunade's kids worked in the hospital, but she hadn't mentioned him being head of a department. She hadn't even told her what he looked like; now she understood the familiarity. His hair was brighter than Tsunade's, but not by much.

He nodded, steering her around a corner - she found herself back in the baby hall. She could see Sasuke's head dipping around frantically too. Urgh; she had forgotten about him. He was going to freak out when he caught sight of the stupid wheelchair.

He didn't fail to live up to her expectations; as soon as he saw her, his eyes visibly widened, and he shot a glance at the man pushing the chair, silently demanding an explanation. The blonde woman behind him stared at her son in surprise.

"Minato?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"I was passing by and caught her before her feet gave out - you have a stubborn patient mother. You should have heard her when I took her to get a wheelchair..."

He caught Sasuke's confused eyes, and had to mask his snort in a cough. Sasuke raised an eyebrow but didn't ask - for Tsunade had begun speaking again, this time in a reprimanding voice.

"Naruto, what on earth possessed you to walk over here? I would have though you would be able to tell you weren't up for too much activity just yet..."

She turned her glare onto Sasuke, who had the good sense to look a fraction intimidated.  
"And you! You shouldn't have helped her out of the room! It's a good thing Minato was passing when he did!"

Naruto stretched in the chair - she already felt sleepy again, and it put things in perspective again. She still hadn't gotten the chance to hold her daughter, and there was no way she would be able to avoid going back to bed with Tsunade on the prowl.

"I thought it was the better option; she was going to leave either way, so I though it was better to go with her. The only reason I didn't catch her was because I was looking for you" Sasuke replied to Tsunade's scolding.

She stared at him for a few speculative moments, before turning a stern gaze on Naruto.

"And you? What's your excuse?" she asked.  
"Nurses take to long; Can I go in there?" she turned the question to Minato, gesturing through the glass with one hand.

He choked back another snort at the suppressed frustration on his mothers face before replying.

"You'll have to put some scrubs on to keep from passing anything to the other babies, but I think that will be all right as long as you don't try walking in there yourself" he grinned.

Her reply was not a grin, but a wide smile; she was so concerned with his reply that she completely missed the small flicker on his face.

He opened his mouth, and then shook his head to himself, entering a side room with her, Sasuke followed close behind. After being trussed up in the blue overalls, Sasuke took hold of the chair, and pushed her down the rows. Naruto had all but forgotten about the blonde man, her mind solely on the red haired baby she slowly drew closer to the incubator.

Indeed, she barley noticed him when he opened the side with the aid of a nurse, and gently picked up the tiny girl. Naruto was surprised to find her arms already held out expectantly when he placed the baby in them; everything about this was so surreal, but she found that she didn't mind at all.

She stared down at the tiny baby, adjusting her arms a little before Sasuke or Minato could tell her to support the girls head. The baby, roused from sleep, gave her a half-lidded petulant glare. She clearly didn't like being woken up, but what drew Naruto's attention were her eye's - they were blue, like hers, but at the same time they weren't.

She could see bright flecks in them, but there was a foreign slate-blue colour dominating them. That had to be from her one of her unknown relatives - Sasuke's family all hard dark eyes, bordering on black. The nameless girl continued to stare up at her, then reached a chubby little hand towards her nose.

Naruto held out one finger towards it - the tiny fingers barely managed to grasp it, but there was one heck of a grip in them. She gurgled and stared at her with more interest; Naruto caught a flash of the bright flecks in her eyes, and bit her lip.

She pulled the baby up towards her shoulder a little, remembering absently to keep one hand on the back of her head, pulling her closer and dipping her head so Sasuke wouldn't see the building globs of liquid salt at the corners of her eyes. It would be the sixth time in her life she could remember crying.

The first time was when she was about five years old, and Sasuke's grandfather had died - she couldn't remember what she had said when she had been told, but it had offended him a lot. She didn't remember the details, but she remembered feeling awful because she had made him so upset.

The third time had been about two years ago; it had been in the middle of a god awful argument with Sasuke, in the middle of his living room. She had thrown her saxophone at Orochimaru a day later when his demands became a bit much for her frazzled brain to handle. Instead of being mad he had smirked triumphant and ordered her to spill her guts. It didn't really help, but it calmed her.

That calm involuntarily led to the fourth episode of tears; about a month later, she had gone out with Sakura and Tayuya and Gaara and some other friends from her school to try get her mind off Sasuke. She had bumped into Sai, one thing led to another, and she had woken up in his bed the next morning.

She didn't even have the excuse of being drunk - she wasn't a big drinker, so she had avoided it. The tears had sprung when events had caught up with her. She didn't really care that it had been her first time having sex - what bothered her was that the only reason she had done so was because Sai looked like Sasuke.

Sai had been nice - he completely understood the whole affair, and it was on his advice that she go visit Sasuke, and swallow her pride. She had changed, showered, and opened the door to do just that only to find Sasuke on her doorstep. She had been stunned for a few moments before blurting everything out.

_'I had sex with Sai because he looks like you and I broke my saxophone and everything turned to crap and I can't even remember why' _had been her precise words - she had never been one to beat about the bush, but that was remarkably blunt, even for her. It was an indicator of how much of her rationality had dribble out through the bottom of her skull at the time.

For his part, Sasuke had take the outburst remarkably well considering she had been bawling her eyes out for the fifth time as she babbled everything out. She had sat on the sofa beside him, blubbing her eyes out for most of the day as they talked everything out.

They had been dimming, but when Sasuke had had enough of all the stupidity and kissed her, they had welled up in a fresh storm and the force she had hugged him with had thrown them both from the sofa onto the floor.

All these instances seemed to centre on the most important moments in her life, but they weren't as poignant as her second experience with tears; it had been when she was eight years old. She knew she had no parents - there was no was she couldn't, growing up in a care home, but she had begun to be curious about the circumstances.

Iruka didn't believe in sugar-coating things, and he employed an _'old enough to ask, old enough to know' _policy on most things. He had told her she had been found in a box on the doorstep with her fox, crystal necklace, and the note with her name on.

She had been holding onto romanticised ideas that they had died, or had left her with the intention of coming back for her, but that had shattered them, and she had never managed to shake of there rage that ad formed in her eyed and dripped down her cheeks.

But this moment the sixth moment, seemed to tower above even that; actually holding this tiny baby, this minuscule girl, knowing that she was hers, that she shared her blood was above all of that. The red-headed girl curled towards her, and a sob escaped from her throat.

She could hear Minato asked Sasuke some alarmed questions, but they were almost inaudible. Everything seemed to centre about the tiny redhead. She barley heard Sasuke calling her, and acknowledged him with a small noise in her throat, reluctant to raise her head for her two companions to see the tear marks.

"Tsunade is indicating that she wants you back in bed - she has to go back in the incubator" he told her quietly. Her fingers clenched involuntarily around the horribly clashing pink blanket for a brief second, but she handed the baby back to Minato after a quick, gentle squeeze.

A pointed look at Sasuke told him to get her out of the room before she decided to ignore Tsunade's advice, and he wheeled her back to the side room, and then back to her room after removing the blue scrubs.

Back in her room, seated on the bed with her knees partly drawn towards her, her mind was still on the tiny baby that was her daughter till a creak of springs told her Sasuke was half seated beside her.

"She screams almost as loud as you" he told her, jerking a smile from her lips; she burrowed her face on her knees, tilting her head towards him.

She was Sasuke's too, she remembered. Something about her nose and face shape reminded her of him. A little pointed, instead of her rounded features. Now that she gave the matter some thought, she wasn't as much of a clone as she had first thought - Sasuke was just more subtle, as usual.

"And she's stubborn - she kept screaming the day before yesterday. It wasn't until my mother came and gave me a quick glimpse of Baby Care 101 that she calmed down. She takes after _'Mama' _more, trust me" he said it with such sincerity that she almost laughed, and then her breath processed one word.

Feeling like being emotional again she mad a small noise akin to a mewl, and threw her arms around his neck. She felt her arms shaking almost in time with his own as he returned the gesture, but ignored it.

As screwed up as everything in the past nine months and the past few days had been, everything seemed to have fallen peacefully into place.

Naruto stared at the tiny baby lying in the bassinet, staring up at her with the generic blue eyes of all babies. It was so strange to see her other than an incubator or someone's arms, or even inside her. She had been carting the brat around all this time, it felt almost abnormal to be so light in comparison.

* * *

She was leaving the hospital today, having spent a week getting some of her energy back. Sasuke had a crick in his neck from sleeping in the chair so much. The tiny redhead had slept soundly, and only woken once in all those mornings screaming for food – Sasuke was right about her lungs, but she seemed to be a quiet baby otherwise.

After that first, almost surreal experience of holding her daughter for the first time, she had developed a terrified fear of dropping her. Sasuke had laughed at her face as she'd tried to get breastfeeding right – it clicked in the end somehow though, and now their daughter immediately fell sleep after a tiny burp each time she was fed.

"Sakura says the chance; she'll meet us at that Coffee near the school - Hinata and Neji are coming with some of the people from your school to say hi" Sasuke said entering the room.

"What about your parents?" she asked, still leaning over the bassinet; the tiny baby was watching her in fascination.

Did she know she was her mother? That they were family? Family; it was completely different to what she had created for herself. Not that the bonds she had with Sakura and Sasuke's family weren't strong, they were, but... it was still different. A good different though - it made her wonder if her own parents had felt like this (if only for the briefest of moments) before dumping her at the orphanage.

"My mother threatened to come by, but since we're leaving in an hour anyway I said we'd pop by with Hell Spawn here after meeting Sakura and the others" he said, with a nod towards the baby as he finished packing up some of Naruto's things.

"_'Hell Spawn?'_" Naruto asked in a neutral tone, but her eyes were glinting.  
"We can't keep calling her _'she' _Naruto; until we can think of a name, I'm calling her _'Hell Spawn'_" Sasuke told her defensively.  
"_Hell Spawn?'_" Naruto repeated dangerously.

Sasuke was either oblivious to the tone, or ignored it if the look of incredulity on his face was anything to go by.  
"With hair and lungs like that? It's perfect, besides, remember who her parents are?"

Naruto gave a conceding grunt; he was right, as good a name as it was, they needed to think of a proper name for her. Pondering all the thoughts she'd had so far on the subject, she popped one of the tofu cubes she had brought with her in her mouth.

She'd had no desire for them the day she had woken up, but the craving was back with a vengeance; she wasn't even sure it was a craving any more. As she munched on the substance she found herself staring at the box of tofu, remembering Tayuya's jokes about foxes.

She'd looked some of the legends up on the internet, and found them fascinating. The ones about nine-tailed foxes had especially fascinated her; old and wise in comparison to the lesser tailed tricksters. The demon in one story, albeit more of an enemy than a hero, had particularly caught her interest.

"Tamamo" she said out of the blue, still staring at the Tupperware trapped tofu.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.  
"Isn't the name of a fox in one of those folk tales? The one that killed an emperor or something?" he asked.

"It sounds nice; I think it suits her. Her eyes are glittery, and her hair is really bright too..." Naruto mumbled to herself.  
"She suits the name of an evil emperor-killing fox-demon because her hair is bright and her eyes glitter a bit?" Sasuke asked, thoroughly confused by her private mumblings.

"And wouldn't that be read as _'Egg'_? Were not calling her _'Egg'_."

Naruto looked up, then realised she had been talking to herself and explaining the path that had led her to the name.

"Not _'Egg'_ you idiot, _'Gem'_! I meant the Kanji for _'Gem'_! Gems are bright, and they sparkle! I dunno about the _'Mo' _... I still need to think on that part, but '_Tama'_ is perfect!" Naruto explained, gently pulling the baby's arms through the sleeves of the tiny mauve coat in her hand. She already wore the pale purple outfit she had picked out with Mikoto months ago, with the three pale-lemon foxes on the front.

Sasuke listened, and then glanced at the small baby. She was making grabs for the end of Naruto's bunches as her mother leaned over the bassinet, fastening the coat. Her own hair was incredibly bright, but still identical in shade to Naruto's rusty shade, and the light from the window highlighted the lapis flecks in them - and her solid determination to grab one of the strands.

When Naruto had finished he picked up the baby, her eyes bright with curiosity, sitting down on the bed and making doubly certain she was secure in his arm – Sasuke was as paranoid of dropping her as Naruto was. The small baby made a grab for the long strands of his fringe on either side of his face ad he glanced down.

"I think it suits her" he said agreed quietly.

Naruto grinned, and plopped down next to him looking over his shoulder to smile at the tiny redhead. Her hair hadn't been trapped in its usual ties as tightly as usual, the bunches were low like Tsunade's.

Naruto grinned as she bent to look the girl in the eye - distracted from Sasuke's fringe, she grabbed at the loose strands, framing her mothers face, missing by a few inches.

"Then, she's Tamamo. Uzumaki Tamamo. What do you think kid? Does that pass your standards?" she grinned at the baby, leaning further towards her.

The newly named Tamamo stared at her mother, frowned in concentration, before launching a tiny, chubby fist towards the free-flowing strands like a pouncing animal, finally succeeding in grasping a few. She played with them in her fingers, before tugging in curiosity. Naruto hissed as the strands were pulled, and the baby gave a happy gurgle.

"I'll take that as a yes then Hell Spawn" she muttered, trying to free her hair from the girls grip.  
Sasuke snickered.

* * *

_**For those who want to suggest a kanji character for the last syllable of Tamamo's name, feel free to supply any suggestions - I took the name from an actual story about a fox demon who seduced an emperor, and when I sent the kanji into wikitionary, it said the last bit meant **_**'algae'**_**.**_

_**Unless anyone can think of anything better, her name is going to look like this in japanese: **_**うずまき, 玉藻 (Uzumaki, Tamamo).**_** I was going to call her Kyuuko, but **_**'Gem'**_** sounded better than **_**'Ninth Child'**_**, so I picked Tamamo instead.**_

_**Hope you liked this chapter. I got Minato in this chapter, so things are going to speed up a bit from now on (please bear with me on how soap-opera the plot is going to be in the future - it'll be ebntertaining at the very least!).**_

_**If you liked, you know which button to press!**_  
_**Nat.**_  
_**xxx **_


	5. Three Months

**THE DICHOTOMY OF ****FAMILY AND GENETICS**

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* * *

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Naruto never though much about her own family – her background never seemed important to her; a moments carelessness meant she got one whether she wanted one or not. All of a sudden, she finds herself missing what she had never had, and what she had never missed, before. SasuNaru (FemNaru), slight GaaSaku, ShikaIno, KakaRin, JiraTsu, MinaKushi, & YahiKonan.

* * *

**CHAPTER V  
~ THREE MONTHS ~**

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* * *

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People change; can't you see my eyes?  
Are they not the same after all the lies?  
I won't make the same mistakes.  
I'm dying not to hurt you.

* * *

Naruto felt a strange nervousness swallow her as they walked down the halls of the hospital. She remained nervous as they loaded the luggage into the boot of Itachi's car. She didn't even mind that Sasuke took the seat in the back next to the girl's car seat.

As Itachi drove through the city street, she gave pause to consider why she was so nervous; when the whole debacle had come out at school, a lot of the kids had taken to staring with disgusted looks or sneers or avoided her altogether. Even some of her friends had lingering concerns.

Especially Kiba - when she had told him, he had been as panicked as she had been. When she told him she had changed her mind about the adoption thing, he had given her a very thorough interrogation to make sure she was certain of the decision.

He had accepted it, even offering babysitting services (Kiba had taken courses apparently, but she wasn't sure she believed that), but she couldn't help but feel... wary.

What if her friends didn't like her? She didn't want to loose them, but Tamamo was going to be around for a long time, and if she had to choose, she would invariable choose Tamamo. She didn't want to loose any friendships, but she knew that some of them were none too impressed with her.

She didn't know Neji and Hinata well enough to know what their reactions would be - they were from Sasuke's school, and he saw them most. She only really saw them at parties or whenever their own group of friends massed together for some events, so she couldn't know how they would react.

She was, in all likelihood, overreacting, but the worry continued to gnaw at her; the only moment it stopped was when Itachi came up with a suggestion for the last part of Tamamo's name.

Itachi's car pulled into a parking spot, and she immediately went to the side door behind hers. Opening the door, she carefully picked her daughter; she was even more careful than she usually was, giving the concrete pathway beneath her shoes a wary glance as she waited for Sasuke to finish fighting with the pram.

One day, she would find a way to repay Mikoto and Fugaku for all their help, but maybe their patience even more so. If it hadn't been for them, she would have been completely unprepared for all of this. She already felt out of her depth as it was - she shuddered to think what it would have been like without the multitude of necessities that came with babies.

Eventually the pram was unfolded - though Itachi ended up doing almost the whole thing by himself when Sasuke popped the bassinet-part free from the framework - and Naruto gratefully put the girl inside it.

She really didn't like carrying her on the _concrete_; she still felt like she could accidentally drop her. With parting words from Itachi on when he would come pick them up (if they didn't phone first), they headed down the street.

Walking beside Sasuke as he pushed the pram, she caught sight of familiar green uniforms on the other side; some of the students obviously recognised her, because they stopped to stare, or point, or whisper to each other with frowns or snobby looks on their faces.

"Ignore them" Sasuke told her, sending a glare of his own to a pair of students that walked past them with shocked sneers on their faces.

Naruto watched him glare for a few moments, before grinning and taking the pram from him, pausing to turn and make a face at the still staring students - it involved blowing a raspberry for the most part - before marching towards the coffee house. Nostalgia wafted over her when she caught sight of it, and she upped her pace.

Bracing herself as Sasuke held the door open, she counted the seconds inside her head - a familiar ritual. Precisely three and a half seconds after the door had closed behind them, she was smothered by something green.

"Naruto! What a joyous day!" the owner of the coffee shop boomed, giving a rib-breaking embrace before moving on to do the same to Sasuke.

Guy was as enthusiastic as always, if not more so - he fussed over Tamamo for a few long moments, before finally directing them to a back room for private bookings (Gai's food was even more popular than his coffee). Naruto opened the door this time, and was instantly greeted by a swirl of confetti.

She started at the room, her face matching his expression of alarmed horror; there were balloons all over the place, and people blowing party poppers. Thank god Tamamo was already awake, or she would have reminded the band of hooligans in the room why she had the nick name _'Spitfire'_.

She made a face at a banner that had been attached to one wall - it was one of those new baby banners with the word boy crossed out in black marker pen; above it the word girl was scribbled in Sakura's messy scrawl instead. Looking at some of the balloons, she could see a similar pattern.

"What ?" Sasuke asked, still looking a little shell-shocked, absently pulling a trail of streamers from his head.

"We knew Naruto wouldn't have let us throw a baby shower if she knew about it, so we didn't tell anyone - we bought the stuff after Naruto decided to keep the baby, so we had to use a few markers on the balloons and banner" Kiba informed them dragging them inside, Neji closing the door behind them.

Looking around, she was amazed by the sheer number of people that had turned up; Sakura and Gaara were seated with Tayuya and Juugo, both girls with smug matching grins on their faces - they were obviously the heinous masterminds behind the horror.

She recognised Lee - Gai's son - and Tenten; she was amazed to see her old seniors - they were attending college in the whirlpool state, at the opposite end of the country. They barley had the time to send an email, but here they were.

Sai, of all people, sat with them, talking with one of Sasuke's friends - Hinata. She didn't know much of the girl, but she seemed too nice for a weirdo like Sai who talked about penises and boobs all the time. Seriously, someone had to get her away from him before she was corrupted.

She should have known what was coming when she caught sight of Shikamaru talking with another two boys from Sasuke's school - Shino and Choji - his own son in his arms. Unfortunately she was still so shocked by what was in front of her that she was completely unprepared for the purple blur that was Ino. The girl trapped her in a squealing hug - easily living up to her namesake - before finally allowing her access to oxygen again.

"Oh god, it's so good to see you! Sakura called me last night and told me! I told Kakashi and Rin at the pre-natal classes, you have to sign up for those, and they said to tell you hi and all that. Rin had a girl too, I think it was two months ago now - I would have said something earlier but I didn't know till I met her at the classes so-"

"It's good to see you too - I did try texting but one of the nurses caught me on my mobile" she smiled in greeting, and Ino suffocated her again.

" I was so relived when you told me you'd changed your mind; I know we don't know each other that well but-"  
"About that..."

Naruto felt herself turning red a little, but she had to talk to Ino about this; no doubt that was half the reason Sakura had called her in the first place.

"I really have to thank you for telling me that when you did; if you hadn't, then I would probably have made one of the biggest mistakes in my life" she told the blonde girl sincerely.

Ino stared at her for a few moment, before sniffing and throwing herself at her for another hug, sounding like she was about to begin bawling. Naruto patted her on the back, watching as the others descended on Sasuke and the pram. He tried sending a plea for rescue with his eyes, but she had her own problem to deal with.

"What? But I didn't... that's... that's so nice!" Ino sniffled.  
Naruto continued to pat her on the back.

"Did you cry this much in labour?" she asked once Ino had recovered.  
"It was a nightmare actually, but I doubt you can talk!" Ino replied, her backbone recovered.  
"Not. Once; I did scream a little at the end before I passed out, but I didn't cry" Naruto replied with a smug grin.

Ino's glance was enough for her to know she had won - Sasuke could verify any doubts later - and Naruto turned to the crowd of people surrounding Sasuke. At least Shikamaru, Choji and Hinata knew better than to cluster like that. She pushed her way through, followed by Ino.

"Naruto, tell Sasuke to let us see your kid!" Kiba complained petulantly.

It seemed that the bustle of people had gotten no closer than to get a good look of the material the hood was made of; thanks to the mass of blankets her paranoia had made her fill the thing with (it was October), the most that could be seen of Tamamo was a fuzz of red underneath a blotch of purple.

"We've got some cards from school too - Tayuya got the teachers and the art class to sign one each, and I got one from the guys at the martial arts club and from our home-room class" Juugo informed her as she faffed with the front of the hood - why didn't Sasuke just take the girl out so they could fuss over her and be done with it himself?

She carefully hoisted the girl out, pulling off her hat since it was warm enough in the room without it, and was instantly immersed in chaos.

Ino and the other girls (and Lee) immediately gushed over how adorable she was, and were soon joined by some of the boys, picking out likenesses that she and Sasuke had already found. After a few moments of standing around, she handed the baby to Ino - who she deemed the least likely to drop her out of all the geese gaggling around her, and stowed the pram in the corner of the room, abandoning Sasuke for a few moments.

When she went back, Sasuke had been dragged into the middle of the group, and was receiving several slaps on the back from Kiba; the social scene he was in was clearly more than he was equipped to deal with, at least so suddenly. He had a wild look in his eyes, and seemed to be scanning the room for a way out.

She felt a little guilty for leaving him to deal with his masses, and joined him on the sofa he was sat on. The others had pulled up chairs and sat in a cluster; Naruto took the spot between Sasuke and Ino, watching Tenten as she fussed over the baby.

"Did you pick a name yet?" Sakura asked, taking the baby as if she were a parcel.  
"Tamamo - _'Gem'_, not _'Egg'_, and _'Imitate'_; Itachi suggested that since she's almost a carbon copy of Naruto" Sasuke informed them.

That brought on a fresh wave of squealing from the girls; Naruto suppressed a snort of laughter on the faces of the boys as the sound resonated. She began to wonder why she had been so worried about their reactions, and began to actually enjoy herself. Sasuke began to relax a little as well, and by the time Gai came in with some food, she had completely forgotten her earlier worries.

Tamamo was barley a month old, but she already had everyone she had encountered wrapped neatly around her tiny finger. Naruto didn't doubt that things were going to be a bit more complicated from now on, but at least she was certain that Tamamo was going to be welcomed far better than she had been.

* * *

A small wail reverberated throughout the small apartment. Naruto stirred under the covers; she had the urge to pull her pillow over her face for a short moment, but growled in frustration and kicked off her duvet instead.

Three months out of the hospital, and she was already reconsidering her non-adoption decision. She was still tired, but at least she could wake up now. Her stomach had completely flattened, but she hay yet to find a way to get rid of the added weight she had put on. She stopped at the doorway to Sakura's room - now a small baby-room.

Shivering a little – missing the warmth of her duvet - she opened the door, and a sleepy smile tugged on her lips.

Sasuke was looking rather desperately at the instruction on a bag of nappies with one hand, and trying to hold the crying redhead with the other; he looked rather frazzled, and didn't hesitate to make his feelings known. Answering the silent plea his eyes sent her, she removed the red-hared girl form his arm.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked, trying to calm the small baby with a rubbing motion on her back; it didn't seem to be working.

She frowned in consternation; something had been bothering the girl the past few nights, and that was not like her. Tamamo usually slept like a dead log, much like herself. She made a few calming, shushes, trying to quell whatever had displeased the tiny girl.

"You need to sleep Naruto - you've been coming in every night this week. I don't understand this at all... she's never been this fussy at night before..." he grumbled to himself, putting away the nappies irritably as he noted the same oddity as she did.

"I think you're the one who needs sleep Sasuke; she doesn't even need changing" Naruto told him pointedly, gesturing to the bag still half-held in his hands.

Sasuke glowered at the bag for a moment before letting free a sigh of frustration, dropping the bag to run his hands through his hair. Naruto ignored him, more focused on the tiny girl's discomfort.

Naruto gave an involuntary shiver as she ticked off all the possible causes of the baby's discomfort; She wasn't hungry - she'd be trying to find one of her boobs if she was (her daughter had inherited her impatience apparently), she didn't need a nappy-change, she didn't need burping either (she'd just tried that), so what was it?

"Do you think she's sick?" Sasuke asked, laying a hand on the girls forehead - he didn't seem to have detected anything abnormal.

"I don't think so... She'd be coughing or something if she was wouldn't she?" Naruto replied, giving the girl a suddenly wary check with her eyes.

She couldn't see anything wrong; Naruto was about to put the baby back down in the cot when she shivered again; it really did seem colder than the hallway. A hollow piercing thought crept through her; she looked up, and then towards the window above the cot – thank god for Mikoto's creepy foresight, otherwise there wouldn't have been one at all.

The curtains on the window were flapping gently, and a step closer invited a biting November chill over her skin. Tamamo whimpered loudly, and burrowed closer to her. Naruto took a quick step back from the window, pausing only slightly to pull one of the baby blankets from the cot, quickly wrapping it around the baby.

"I... I think I... figured out the problem; the window is wide open. It's _freezing_ in here! It's January Sasuke! It's _January_ and... And I... I left the window..." Naruto mumbled in irritation, wrapping the blanket around the small human girl a little more snugly.

She felt like an idiot; all this time and she hadn't noticed how cold the room was at all - hadn't Sakura warned her about it? A week! She had been completely oblivious to this for a week - it was a miracle Tamamo hadn't caught something!

Realisation dawned on Sasuke and he closed the window with pace before following her out of the room. Naruto carried her now calming daughter back to her own room – well, theirs now. He was staying with Naruto until something permanent could be arranged.

Iruka had already told them he wouldn't be welcome if another social worker showed up to check on them, unlikely though possible. He couldn't stay here for any extended period considering he had parents of his own.

Though he wondered if he was really being of any help in the first place; He couldn't believe they had left the window open! While he internally berated himself, Naruto arranged the bed covers to fit Tamamo in-between them one-handedly.

"Stop being a worry wart – I was the one who left it open this, well, yesterday morning" Naruto ordered him pointedly, climbing under the covers herself.

He sighed to himself in resignation; Tamamo hadn't really been a problem during the night before - she was a little fussy in the mornings sometimes, but not during the night. The knowledge that her fist night-waking had been partly their fault was not very pleasant.

"Thank god Sakura's staying with Gaara - she would have been on warpath" he mumbled through a yawn, ruffling Tamamo's hair gently as he climbed in on Naruto's other side; the baby was happily yawning now that the temperature had improved.

Naruto grumbled to herself, mimicking her daughters yawn with one of her own. Tamamo yawned again before slipping completely into dream-world, and Naruto watched as her lids slowly covered her grey-blue eyes.

She had the same deep coppery red hair and the same wrinkle under her chin when she yawned. The only thing different about her was her eyes - they were not hers, or Sasuke's, or even a mix of the two.

She wondered who they had belonged to; her mother or her father? Or was it one of her grandparents? Seeing the foreign colour in her daughter's eyes made her wonder.

Her silence must have caught Sasuke's attention, because he broke it.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, and she could pick up he trace worry in his voice.  
"Nothing" Naruto told him sleepily.

If Sasuke knew she was thinking about her parents he would worry - it happened more and more lately. Every time she saw her daughter's eyes, her thoughts involuntarily led to them, and Sasuke was beginning to notice.

She didn't want to dredge that up again; if Ino hadn't intervened when she did (albeit unwittingly), then her daughter would be in the hands of some stranger because she couldn't let go of her paternity... maternity... her abandonment issues.

Things were not easy as they had been now, but she was happy with them; she didn't want anything to ruin them; but every time she caught sight of those dull, steely-blue eyes, something inside her began to churn in a mix of anger, confusion, and the desire to know just whose eyes had been passed on to her daughter.

* * *

Naruto glared at the different bags on the aisle shelves; stupid brand name nappies with stupid cheerful babies on them smiled back at her.

Tamamo fussed from her carrier, staring a series of small coughs. Naruto began to pat her on the back in alarm, hoping the action would clear her air ways or something. The action worked little; a greenish dribble emerged from Tamamo's lips and her fussing began to settle.

Or did it? Why the green dribble? Was that bad? Or had Tamamo eaten too many bogeys? Did three-month-olds _eat_ bogeys? Naruto suppressed the urge to scream; she couldn't tell the difference between all these stupid things! Never mind the bodily functions, what was the difference between all these different nappies?

Dry absorbent? Anti-rash? Miniature-large expandable? How was dry stuff absorbed? What _kind _of rash? What the fuck happened to _Medium_? Sasuke usually bought the nappies - he seemed to know what he was supposed to be looking for better than she did, and she just knew it was because he had been the first to get his mitts on Tamamo in the hospital.

"I have no idea what I'm doing," Naruto groaned, blinking at the variety of brands on either side of the aisle.

She stared back at the yawning baby strapped to her front, then back to the shelves before letting out a few curses and glaring once again at the shelves. This was so messed up; what had she been thinking? She couldn't do this at all! She didn't know how! Maternal instinct could only go so far.

Sure she could figure out why Tamamo was crying (sort of... not really), but that told her nothing about nappy shopping! This was Mikoto's area of expertise, even Sasori had a better idea of what to do than she did and he was _locked up!_ She was being trumped by a freaking _convict!_ All right, so Sasori wasn't really a convict – although he did break the law – but that wasn't the point!

"Naruto? Why are you glaring at nappies?"

Naruto looked over her shoulder and found her workmate standing behind her.

"Karui? What are you doing all the way out here? Don't you work on Thursdays?" she asked, removing her glare from the plastic wrapped packages to talk to the older woman.

"Thought I'd pop by and check up on you; I was going to the shop and I came looking for a sandwich. This the Hell Spawn?" Karui clarified, nodding towards Tamamo.  
"Yup. Say hello Tamamo."

Naruto gave her daughter a pointed look; Tamamo took no notice of her mother, other than drooling on Naruto's shoulder in her apparent sleep.

"Cute kid, looks like her mother though, so that's a given. Why are you glaring at the shelves?" Karui asked, getting back to her original question.

Naruto struggled for a few moments before quietly exploding - the last thing she needed was for her daughter to wake up. That would be a disaster, especially in the middle of a shop. Tamamo liked to scream if she was woken ungraciously.

"I don't know what I'm doing! I don't know all this stuff! I knew I couldn't do this!" Naruto wailed quietly, gesturing wildly at the shelves.

Karui sighed, and pulled one of the packages from the shelf and handed it to the shorter girl.  
"That's it?" she sighed.

"Karui, I don't know what I'm doing! I don't know how to do this! I've baby sat five-year-olds, but I've never looked after a baby! I don't..." Naruto pulled her hair in frustration.

"Is this anything to do with the care-kid thing?" Karui asked exasperatedly.

Naruto paused, her fists still entangled in her bunches. After some thought she began cursing to herself again; Karui had hit the nail right on the head hard. Incredibly hard.

How long was this going to keep interfering? How could people who she didn't know (and who were probably non-existent by now), and had never met keep ruining things for her? What the hell did she have to do to put this behind her?

Did she have to go looking for them again? It was pointless; Iruka had already looked for them three times with no results, what was she going to accomplish by looking again? If Iruka couldn't find something before the likelihood of doing so now wasn't all that high!

Karui, if her next statement was anything to go by, was probably a mind reader.

"Naruto, I think the only way for you to get past this is to face the problem directly; didn't you say one of the guys from that pre-natal class was a private detective? Why don't you talk to him about it? He'll be a lot better at it than Iruka will" she suggested.

"Karui, in case you didn't notice, I don't have the money to hire a PI!" Naruto replied, sounding a little defensive.  
"I said talk - not hire, but unless you stop running from this, you'll never beat it" she informed her, giving her a pointed rap on the head.

Naruto was too confused to reply as Karui waved goodbye.

* * *

Sasuke watched Naruto with a contemplative look as she dangled a spoon of mashed baby food in front of Tamamo's nose hopefully; she was desperately hoping to get her onto mashed up solids sooner rather than later.

Sasuke didn't really understand her aversion to breastfeeding, but then again he didn't have any breasts; he could hardly experiment and try the experience for himself, so he just let her do what she thought best.

Naruto had checked the nutritional stuff several times before trying the baby on some orange concoction that supposedly contained carrots - Tamamo had not been very impressed with the stuff, so now Naruto was trying hand-mashed goop containing tofu, amongst other things.

That was not was drew his attention though - there was something off. He couldn't tell what it was, and that irritated him. He usually picked up on those small nuances with relative ease (compared to other people), but now he found it hard to determine what kind of mood she was in.

Something had been bothering her lately, he was sure of it, but he had no clue as to what it could be; as he watched her pleading with the girl to eat some of the mashed food, something crossed her face.

Whatever it was, it was something to do with Tamamo. Of that much he was certain, but what it was exactly continued to elude him. He caught a look at her again and frowned - maybe he was just over reacting.

She didn't really look like something was bothering her, and Naruto had made some subtle changes since Tamamo had arrived in their lives, so it was only natural that he would pick up on them wasn't it? He just needed to get used to them.

Even when he watched her from a distance, he didn't see any of the frown line or nervous ticks that usually meant something was plaguing her thoughts. Surely the fact that he couldn't see anything meant there was nothing to see?

His mother kept telling him that they were paving a road to hell but he really didn't see how – Naruto was as happy as a clam, and he couldn't complain either. She kept telling them to let her or Itachi baby-sit at weekends, but he really didn't see the need. His mother was just paranoid.

"Come on hell spawn, please eat the yuck- the yummy mush... Look! It has tofu in it! You like tofu right? You made me eat enough of the bloody stuff when you were still a parasite... please eat the mush!"

Naruto continued to hover the spoon near the girl's mouth; Tamamo was giving the contents of the spoon a look that told Sasuke she didn't quite trust her mother not to poison her by accident. He couldn't blame her - Naruto's cooking never, ever, _looked_ appetizing, even if the taste was a completely different kettle of fish.

Tamamo gave the spoon a wary glance; Naruto looked like she wanted throw her toy fox at her wardrobe. Before Naruto could begin swearing, he took the spoon and swallowed the contents, making certain the baby could see him. It wasn't that bad really - it was tofu and the peas that had come with the take-out they had ordered the night before, but the pasty green look was definitely not appetizing.

"See? It's not poison - she just can't make food look right" he informed the baby with a gesture towards Naruto.

He heard an indignant squawk from his girlfriend, but ignored it. Instead, he scooped some of the disgusting looking mush onto the spoon and held it out towards the baby. She glanced at him for a few moments - as if waiting to topple over and start foaming at the mouth - before opening her mouth.

After that, she scarfed the stuff down without complaint. Once Naruto was finished, she picked her up and headed for the bathroom.  
"I thought you were trying to get her onto solids?" he asked in confusion, following her down the hallway.

He rolled his eyes when the bathroom door slammed and he heard the click of a lock; Naruto had taken to breastfeeding the baby in the bathroom for reasons that still escaped him, but he let it go - lots of the reasons behind Naruto's actions escaped him.

"The book said it had to be _gradual_ - I have to get her used to it first before I can start lessening the boob-fest and giving her more of the mush. Just because I don't like it isn't an excuse for not doing it right" she replied from behind the door.

He supposed that made sense.

"Sasuke, you have Kakashi's number right?"

The question was completely out of the blue, but he answered anyway.  
"I don't, but I think Shikamaru does; why?"

There was a pause behind the door.

"I was thinking about meeting up with Ino and Shikamaru next week, and I just thought it might be good to ask him and Rin too... I don't have his number though, and trying to call Rin is like trying to call a brick wall"

That was one was definitely a surprise; Naruto barley talked to Rin. They chatted every so often, but that was it. She was much closer to Ino - he had walked in on some sort of female plotting group with the additions of Sakura and Tayuya a few weeks ago (to say he had high-tailed it out of there was an understatement).

Something odd was going on, but he didn't make a hash out of it; it didn't really sound like anything serious, and he could usually tell if something was bothering her that much.

Naruto seemed fine, so despite the nagging feeling that persisted in telling him he was missing something, he shrugged the feeling away without a second thought.

* * *

"Naruto, have you been feeding her steroids or something? She's so big now!" Ino squealed, handing her son to Shikamaru so she could temporarily kidnap the smaller redhead.

Naruto sighed and handed the sleeping baby over to the blonde girl, and watched in bored amusement as she cooed and gushed over the girl; apparently babies made most women turn to mush. She didn't remember being quite so expressive with Mujiro, but the looks Sasuke gave her when she claimed that made her think otherwise.

"No - you just haven't seen her for a month, but I think I'm going to buy some of that formula stuff soon; not for good, but she's like a cow the way she eats - I need a break" Naruto replied.

She didn't like the breast feeding – it felt weird, but Tsunade had told her it was better than the mix-up stuff in the shops, so she stuck with it. Tamamo ate too much though, so she was going to buy some to lighten the number of boob-fests until she could get the girl onto solids. And in any case, the way Sasuke kept hovering nearby when ever Tamamo wanted lunch was a little irritating.

"Ino, can I have my kid back now?" Sasuke asked, a look of irritation on his face.  
"You're a spoilsport Sasuke! Mujiro is _never_ this quiet..." she grumbled teasingly, handing the tiny girl to her father as Naruto dug into her sundae.

"That's because he takes after _you_" Shikamaru voiced; Ino glared at him

Sasuke smirked in amusement, taking the little red head and pulling a bottle from the now ever-present backpack. Naruto watched as he tried to persuade her into consuming some of the substance with a light frown.

She often noted how quiet a baby Tamamo was; unless she wanted something, her only noises were satisfied gurgles. Recently though... fussy just wasn't the word. Something was niggling at her, but she hadn't the foggiest as to what it could be.

She wasn't noisy, just... off. She had been fussing over her food for the past few days, like she was doing now. It niggled at her, but she had no idea what it was. Maybe she didn't like milk so much any more? She could only hope...

"Now now kids, we came here to chat, not bicker" Kakashi added, trying to prevent Ino from blowing up at her boyfriend.

The gathering was very sudden, and had only occurred because Naruto had been the one to suggest it; Naruto was fully aware of the fact that Sasuke's was racing a mile a minuet, trying to find her real motive. It explained what he was putting up with Ino's exuberance so well.

That being said, it was probably about time she got down to the matter at hand - a feeling of dread flooder her as she thought about how Sasuke was going to react later on. Shit, she was going to die.

"Kakashi, can I ask something?" Naruto asked, digging to the bottom of her sundae for some more of the raspberry goop, trying to avoid Sasuke's penetrating gaze.

"Go ahead," the man said raising an eyebrow.  
"I was... wondering something" Naruto said tentatively.

Sasuke's eyes glinted, realising that her true motive was coming out. It didn't dim her nervousness any at all; she had given this a lot of thought, but it didn't completely erase the reservations she had. Sasuke's hidden anger rise was not all that relaxing, neither was that fussing noise from Tamamo, but she'd just have to suck it up now.

"What is it?"  
"It's more business really..." Naruto told him, casting a glance to Sasuke; he was trying to get the smaller red head to stop fussing.

"Business? With me? I'm intrigued, go on..." the man raised another eyebrow.  
"See, I was wondering what... how I would go about trying to find some of my... well, _any_ of my... relatives" she stumbled over the words.

Feeling her face flush she took her fussing daughter from Sasuke and held her against her shoulder and began rubbing circles on her back – she hoped it would settle her down, she wasn't quite up to speed with all the different discomfort indicators yet, but the action seemed to be something of a soothe-all.

She getting better; though she still had problems discerning the different cries, she did know that Tamamo never fussed this much...

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her statement, an action mirrored by Kakashi and their other companions. Naruto winced at the surreptitious glare her boyfriend was giving her. Yeah, she really hadn't though this through enough had she? Or maybe she should have just told him?

Bah, he could deal with it.

She's fretted over this too much. It had been a hard decision, but much as she loved her daughter, the girl was an emotionally double edged sword for her; she had family now, but in a way Tamamo was a horrible reminder that she didn't really, or was missing one half of it.

She had her daughter, but Tamamo didn't quite fill the gaping hole that had been growing in her since Iruka first phoned Sakura about her own father; it was time for her to grow a backbone and start searching for the parents she had been avoiding all these years, if they were still alive that is.

"Well, it depends; don't the social services usually check themselves? Don't get me wrong, I'd be happy to help, but it wont be cheap Naruto; I don't want you wasting money if you don't have to" Kakashi said seriously.

"Iruka looks every couple of years or so, but he can't spend forever on it, and he has other jobs to worry about so..." she waved a hand, leaving the conclusion in the air.

Kakashi nodded in understanding. Sasuke gave her a strange look but she ignored it. She hadn't told him because she hadn't even known if she even would bring the topic up; she'd had half a mind to completely forget the whole thing. Oh god, he was going to kill her when they got home.

"Last chance?" Ino asked.  
"More like, the last time I'm willing to try; I'm still in two minds on this..." Naruto replied, biting one of her nails.

"You're sure?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow.

Naruto continued to chew on her nails for a few moments. She wasn't sure at all; the mere thought of going through with even talking on the matter left her feeling uneasy. She knew this was no guarantee of finding any relative, never mind her parents, but it still sent confused shivers down her spine.

She should have talked about this with someone first; well she had talked with Karui, but that had been a week ago. She should have at least talked to Sasuke about this first; he was suffering suppressed anger symptoms, she could tell. He was very good at hiding it though; she was probably the only one who could see something off with him.

She'd asked a few vague questions to Sakura, since she had gone through the process herself, but she hadn't told Sasuke. She should have said something, but it had never been a good time between juggling smelly nappies and burping and feeding, and keeping up with her revision for her exams.

She was still working at Killer Bee's too; when Sasuke got back from school to baby-sit, he would take over so she could go to the record shop. It worked the other way too, but the simple fact remained that there just wasn't any time in-between all that to sit down and talk.

"Yeah, I'm sure" she swallowed.

Sasuke sent her a quiet gaze and she mentally winced; oh boy, was she in for it. Tamamo began fussing once again, twisting in her arms as if uncomfortable, and Naruto's attention was distracted from her relationship worries to the niggling ones surrounding her daughter.

* * *

Sasuke was quiet when they arrived back at Naruto's flat, and he could tell she was feeling uneasy; a new nervous habit she had adopted was shuffling and running her fingers through Tamamo's cadmium coloured hair instead of her own whenever the baby was nearby.

She hadn't let Tamamo out of her arms since they had entered; she moved around carrying the tiny girl everywhere she went, gently twisting the short red strands whenever the occasion rose. That calmed him a fraction, but not much. Especially since the action seemed to be directed more towards Tamamo herself instead of as a soothing mechanism.

Why hadn't she told him about this? Sure, they both had their own things to worry about – including Tamamo – but surely there had been one point in time where she was free enough to share this information? Surely he was _trustworthy_ enough to share the information?

"When did you start thinking about it?" he asked, watching her lay Tamamo down from the doorway of Sakura's old room.

She lingered a little longer than she usually would, glancing down and biting her lip at the fidgeting girl; if she seemed so nervous, why did he get the feeling she wasn't nervous at all? Something wasn't right...

"Honestly? I'm not sure. I've been thinking about it ever since we left the hospital, but I think the ideas been building since Iruka first called about Sasori..." she confessed, quietly stepping from the small room and heading over to the equally small kitchen.

All the rooms in the flat lead off from the kitchenette and living room, and it while comfortable, it still wasn't big enough. Sakura had moved in with Gaara to make room.

He watched as she began to chop up tomatoes on the chopping board - lots of tomatoes. She was making soup; an attempt at a peace offering no doubt.

"I should have said something I know, but I meant what I said to Kakashi; I didn't make up my mind until we got there" she ventured warily.

"It doesn't matter if you'd made up your mind or not Naruto" he told her, taking up a knife of his own to vehemently chop up some of the tomatoes.

She eyed his ferocious chopping warily.

"You should have said something instead of just _springing_ it out into the open like that" he muttered, slamming the knife through the fleshy fruit and onto the chopping board.

Naruto had finished hers and had dumped them into a pan with some basil and a few other bits and bobs. The meticulous stirring and the steadfast gaze she was giving it was a blank one to him; it was one of the few times he didn't know what was running through her mind.

"I mean, you heard Kakashi; PIs are expensive"

She snapped her eyes towards him with icy irritation.

"I know I'm a little childish sometimes, but I'm not a _total_ idiot Sasuke! I just want _discuss_ the process, not _embark_ on it!" she snapped, somehow making the wooden spoon in her hand look threatening.

She roughly grabbed the chopping board and scraped in the tomatoes, barley waiting for him to finish chopping.

"Besides, if all goes well, I'll be getting a pay rise soon; I can save up if I do decide to go forward with it" she continued, pouring some boiling water into the tomatoes.

"So you're just going to handle this all by yourself? What the hell am _I?_ Chopped liver? Some kind of _decoration? _What? Why the hell didn't you say anything?" he growled, voice rising in pitch.

Screw trying to be calm about the whole thing; he didn't get it _at all_. They were supposed to be dating right? In the strongest sense of the word! Didn't that imply an implicit trust? He hadn't run for the hills when he found she was pregnant, so what the hell made her think he would run _now?_

Did she think he wouldn't have been supportive? That was complete _bullshit!_ He was completely baffled; why didn't she just say something? She'd had three months to do it! What was she so afraid of?

"I don't want you getting involved in this, that's why! Yes, in hindsight I should have told you, but I didn't; just get over it! It's not your problem okay?" she snapped, dropping the wooden spoon and waving her hands in a _'leave it alone'_ gesture.

He stared aghast as she deliberately brushed him aside and fished around in one of the cupboards for a blender. Not his problem? How the hell did that figure out?

"What the fuck is_ that_ supposed to mean?" he asked, far more than irritable with another rise in volume.  
She ignored him, pouting the boiling red mush into the blender instead.

"_Not my problem?_ If something like that is bothering you I think it's my business!" he snapped, taking hold of her wrist before she could drown him out with the blender instead.

"Let. Go. Of. Me!" she snapped quietly, keeping her glare on the power switch on the mechanical device.  
"Not until you start making sense!" he growled.

Naruto inhaled a few deep breaths, trying to keep her own temper form surfacing as his was. After a few moments, she turned back towards him with the same steely gaze.

"You want me to start making sense? _Fine!_ I didn't tell you because I didn't want anyone influencing me this time!" she snapped loudly, jerking her wrist from his grasp.

"Influencing?"

What was that supposed to mean? And what did she mean by _'this time'_? No one was stupid enough to force Naruto to do something she didn't want to - she wasn't a black belt, but a few more years would quickly change that. No one had ever forced something on her she didn't...

"Wait, you're talking about _Tamamo_ aren't you?" he asked in disbelief.  
With perfect timing, the girl in question began crying.

Naruto rubbed a hand over her temple and headed in the direction of the unhappy sound. Regaining composure, he quickly followed her into the room and watched her pick up the three-month old with a livid frown on his face.

"What is that supposed to mean Naruto? No one was doing _anything _to make you keep her, you know that already! What is this all about? Are you having second thoughts or something?" he demanded, voice rising anger and to be heard over Tamamo's cries.

Naruto sighed at both Sasuke's questions and Tamamo's fussing. She didn't seem to be having any success in calming her down at all. She turned to give him a frustrated glare as she rocked her miniature clone back and forth, hoping to settle her.

"I never _said_ that Sasuke! Don't put false words in my mouth!"  
"Then tell me what you mean, because I just can't keep up with you at the moment!"

"Come on hell spawn, please calm down..." Naruto mumbled soothingly to the screaming baby, before turning her attention back to Sasuke.

"I mean, people were always trying to point things out for me that I would have realised by _myself!_ You didn't _let_ me accept her by myself, and I wanted that this time! That's why I didn't tell you!" Naruto snapped.

Before Sasuke could retort, Tamamo began to increase her vocalised displeasure, and Naruto was diverted once again. She checked to see if she needed changing, before placing a hand on her head. She jerked her hand away and turned back to him.

"Something's wrong with her, I knew something wasn't right; she feels all clammy..." she deposited the screaming infant in his arms - he automatically assumed what he called the 'comfort jiggle' - and began searching through the jumble of baby things.

After some time she dug out a baby thermometer, and quickly took her temperature.  
"38 degrees C is _bad_ isn't it?" she asked, paling with her own words.

"Very bad; she needs a doctor. _Quickly._ Very, _very _quickly. I'll pack, go call Itachi or Obito - the bus will take too long" he replied robotically, glancing around the room for things that would be needed at a later time.

Naruto took her from him to free up his arms, grabbing the mauve coat she had picked out months ago as she hurried from the room. Before she left his line of vision he sent her a gaze that promised their argument was not yet resolved.

* * *

The moment they stepped into the hospital, Minato was already waiting for them. Since Tsunade had asked him to keep an eye on her after her birth, the man had taken on the care of Tamamo personally, and it did something to relieve their worry.

Tamamo was whisked away amazingly quickly, leaving them in the waiting room with a coughing old man and another worried looking father accompanied by two teenagers and a baby similar in age to Tamamo.

Naruto pulled her legs up beneath her as she slumped on the sofa; she felt awful. Worry, guilt, anger, frustration all whirled around inside her head, but the most prevalent feeling was the wrench of guilt. That window. That _stupid_ window! She knew the room got cold easily, even in summer.

Sakura had warned her. She had brushed it off until Tamamo started complaining that one week, and once the matter had been resolved she had brushed it off again. She hadn't once thought that there could have been any lingering effects from such a tiny gap - it was just one week after all, and there had been blankets.

Sasuke was seated on the other end of the sofa, and the gap between them seemed to mock her; when had they stopped talking? Everything seemed to have been going just fine. Everything had been _good._ What had gone wrong? She used to tell Sasuke everything - now it was the exact opposite.

Saying there had been no time to talk was no excuse; she should have _made_ time. Maybe if she had made time, if she had just tried to talk, this could have been avoided. All of it; she hadn't told Sasuke about her odd feelings about Tamamo, and this might have been avoided if she had just told him.

It seemed like hours passed in the small waiting room. Her heart twisted when the baby began bawling in his father's arms; the man immediately panicked, rocking the boy far to fast to be comforting. Before she could stand up though, Sasuke was already moving across the floor.

"Stop; you're jerking him all over the place..." he told the man, taking hold of the boy.

The man, and his other two boys began to protest, but stopped when the little boy calmed down; Sasuke pulled some paper towels from a dispenser and wiped away the cough-up before handing him back to his father and turning to stare out of the window.

It was like another wrench twisting her insides out of place; why couldn't she have just _explained _it? If she had asked, Sasuke wouldn't have said a word to her about finding her parents. What had made her do something so _stupid?_ They shouldn't be arguing or anything right now. This was one of those awful moments they were supposed to share.

Maybe that wasn't right - they _were_ sharing the same worry. Sasuke would not have been so irritated by the man's inability to calm his son if they were not. Yes, they were definitely feeling the same worry, but for some reason it didn't feel like they were.

"T-thank you" the man stammered out after a few moments.

Naruto listened absently as he began talking with Sasuke - the two boys were his step-children, so he was a first time father. His wife was in the hospital for an operation on her kidneys. They continued to talk; the man seemed to think Sasuke was her brother, and they were in visiting a parent or younger sibling. Sasuke didn't seem in the mood to correct him, and her gut clenched.

Had she ruined everything? Was she going to loose Sasuke as well as Tamamo? The idea was a morbid one, but she knew that babies didn't always shake off illness. She didn't even know what was _wrong_ with her, and that did not help to curb her wild horror filled imagination.

She buried her head in her knees, trying to burrow away and pretend none of this was happening.

One of the boys came to sit beside her unnoticed till he spoke; He seemed like a decent guy. He had brown hair and eyes, and seemed nice enough, but most of his words sailed over the top of her head until he began to enquire about her dating status.

"I-I'm sorry, you're probably really nice, but I'm not inter... I'm already..."  
She faltered, and the boy noticed; _was_ she still seeing Sasuke?

She didn't know. The way things stood, she wouldn't be surprised if they were over, considering how stupidly she had messed things up. The boy, perhaps sensing the precarious situation her thoughts surrounded, began pressing her again, asking for _'just a phone number'_.

She tried ignoring him, but he was persistent; she was on the verge of giving him a made up number if only to get him to shut up when one of the nurses came into the room; the grave expression on her face seemed to still not only her heart, but those of the others in the room. She approached the wizened old man in the corner.

"Mr. Sarutobi?"

The old man nodded, his coughing attacking freshly as his face paled. A feeling of dread built up in her as the woman spoke quietly with the man. She had seen that face on medical dramas; the man's eyes widened fro a few moments, then he collapsed back down onto his chair, his quiet sobs filling the room.

After a few moments, the nurse led him from the room and the tension in the room relaxed enough for her new companion to begin hassling her again. She pretended to listen, but kept her eyes on the doorway - that had been horrible to witness, but more chilling had been the brief thought that the woman had been there to tell _her_ what she had told the old man.

"...I'm sorry, I _know_ I'm being pushy, and you have other things on your mind but you seem... nice; I saw you earlier. If your brother hadn't stood up, you would have instead. It takes a special kind of person to worry about someone else's kid - I just wanted him to shut up, and he's my own brother!"

Naruto jerked her attention to the boy for the first time since he had sat down beside her; he had seen that?

"I know I'm being pushy, but I really would like to get to know you outside of this place…"

He gestured around the room, and her gut twisted again. Why was he so _nice?_ It was horrible. _Nice_ people set her teeth on edge no matter what the situation, but right now she just felt guilty. She was sick of feeling guilty, even if she did sort of deserve it.

"I'm sorry but I'm-"  
"She's already seeing someone"

Naruto was stunned - Sasuke had interrupted her before she could stumble over the words again. He stood in front of her, a cool gaze on the boy seated beside her. He was jealous, she could tell by the crease in his eyebrows. She watched nervously as the two stared back and forth at each other.

When Minato had carried her off to the wheel chair, she hadn't been exaggerating by _much _with her threats about telling Sasuke. The way things stood at the moment, he was in the perfect mood to start a fight. At least, he would be if any tension and worry she was being strangled by was affecting him.

"Wha-? Wait, I thought you were her _brother!_"  
"I never said that - I just didn't get a chance to clarify to your dad."

The boy glanced between the two of them then, back at the baby his step-father was slowly rocking back and forth, then back to her; something seemed to click and he grinned a little sheepishly. He garbled out an apology, before quickly heading back to his own family.

Sasuke watched him leave before sitting down in the vacated seat; the distance seemed to have dimmed a little. A cautious glance from her eyes found him staring at her pensively. He realised she had caught him, and he re-furrowed his brows and went back to staring at his shoes.

It felt like a great weight had been taken from the pile atop her shoulders with that twitch of embarrassment - he was still mad, fuming even, but they could fix that. The knowledge left her free to resume what she had originally been worried about.

* * *

_**Yes, Yes, I know, I'm a horrible person with a sway towards pessimism, but I wanted to make this as realistic as possible, and to me, it doesn't matter what universe Naruto and Sasuke are in; they're the type to be so bull headed about something, that they actually loose sight of it where it counts.**_

_**Besides, they're barely 17, and babies are hard work; they seem to be gradually getting this message, but of course, Naruto and Sasuke are too stubborn and proud to let Granny Miki help them, so now they're in a mess.**_

_**Credit to **_**Mitsukino Tennyo**_** for the translation of the 'Mo' in Tamamo's name; that was a big help.**_  
**_Her name now looks like this in Japanese: _うずまき, 玉摸 (_Uzumaki, Tamamo)._**

**_A refresher on the kanji - the _'Tama' _is written as_ '****玉', _which means_** 'Gem'_; Naruto picked cuz she thought Tamamo's eyes were sparkly, and she's precious little thing, like a Gem. The_ 'Mo' _is written as_ '**摸', _and it _**_means _'Copy' _or _Imitate'_; Itachi suggested it because Tamamo is a mini Naruto, only with Sasuke's nose. Sooo... a_**_ltogether her name means... _'Copy of a Gem'? _I think it's good, cuz then it's saying Naruto's a gem too... _**

_**Dear god, I've been reading too much shoujo if I'm coming up with that sort of mush - I need to go find Kuroshitsuji or Nabari no Ou or D. Gray-Man or something else without any gusshy in it... I actually sound like a girl, and I hate that!**_

_**Hope you liked this chapter (I tried to cut down on the soapy plot, but i dont really know if it suceeded -_-;).  
**_

_**Nat.  
xxx **_


	6. Two Years

**THE DICHOTOMY OF FAMILY AND GENETICS**

**

* * *

**

Naruto never though much about her own family – her background never seemed important to her; a moments carelessness meant she got one whether she wanted one or not. All of a sudden, she finds herself missing what she had never had, and what she had never missed, before. SasuNaru (FemNaru), slight GaaSaku, ShikaIno, KakaRin, JiraTsu, MinaKushi, & YahiKonan.

* * *

**CHAPTER VI  
~ TWO YEARS ~**

**

* * *

**

_Gods know I've tried;  
Call me a sinner, call me a saint.  
Call me your favourite, call me the worst,  
I don't want you to hurt._

_

* * *

_

They had only been waiting two hours, but it felt like forever had passed when Minato appeared at the door of the waiting room. Naruto had snapped to her feet before he could call her name and rushed up to him. Sasuke followed with similar pace, but something kept him from walking beside her too closely.

Until he had caught sight of Mr. Chatty's step-kid trying to drag Naruto's phone number out of her, he had been eager to get as far away from her simply because he was pissed off. That had frazzled out when caught sight of the guy trying to hit on her.

The surge of irrational possessive jealousy had brought him back to thinking rationally - he had almost been ready to do something very stupid. He was still mad but now that he thought about the whole thing, he found it harder to stay furious.

His gut clenched when he saw the unmistakable relief that had nothing to do with the pushy guy when he interrupted her. He really was being the jack of all asses; Tamamo was more important than anything else, but one stupid fight had nearly had everything crumbling around their ears.

As he followed Naruto through the corridor - she was listening with the solid attention of rock to whatever Minato was telling her - he thought about what had cause the argument in the first place. He was still pissed that she hadn't told him anything about the matter, but if he thought about the reasoning behind her secrecy, it wasn't completely irrational.

Still, she could have said something couldn't she? They entered the ICU, and he was brought back to their primary concern as Minato pointed out the incubator, and quietly left the room.

He felt sick seeing all the tubes and wires attached to the three-month old, now sleeping peacefully in an incubator, but he couldn't bring himself to go any closer like Naruto, who had bent down on one side to line he eyes wit Tamamo's sleeping face.

He couldn't stand seeing the worry on her face; in his spiteful rambling, he had implied she didn't care about the baby one way or the other. He knew that wasn't true at all. Why had he said that?

"I... I just didn't think. Sakura told me, she told me that it got cold in there - I just didn't think... it was only open a little bit! I didn't think it would... I didn't think she'd catch _pneumonia_..."

His attention was jerked back Naruto, his eyes widening; Pneumonia? _Pneumonia__?_ That's what all that fussing had been? Those sniffles? He'd thought it was just a _cold! _He stared at Naruto letting her words flood his mind.

He froze for a moment, then tentatively reached out and pulled her towards him. He didn't know what was going on; only a few months ago he would have noticed her reactions almost before she did. When did everything stop working the way it should?

"This isn't our fault Naruto; I went in for a week remember? I didn't think the window was that important either" he mumbled, trying to reassure her.

He couldn't see or hear them, but the damp patches on his shirt were a sure fire indicator that her eyes were brimming over. He wished he knew how much of them were because of _him._

She tightened her grip on him, and he felt another crack of guilt; he had noticed that something had been dominating her thoughts lately - how could he _miss_ it? Every time she looked at Tamamo, something flickered across her face. He had _seen_ it, but he hadn't bothered to inquire about it.

When had he started brushing things like that off? It was always little gestures like that that were the important ones with Naruto. He had _never_ brushed them off before. He could yell and rant and rave about her private decision all he wanted, but he hadn't really been paying attention either.

There were chairs in the corner of the room, comfy ones, and he presumed that they were there for free use. It took some persuading to get Naruto to leave the side of the incubator (guilt stabbed him again), but he managed to persuade her that sleep they both needed the sleep. She sat nervously for a few moments before letting her head slum onto his shoulder.

"How did this happen?" she asked in a hushed whisper; he knew that she was not talking about Tamamo.  
"I wish I knew" he replied just as quietly.

He tried to reassure himself, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her back towards him again, but doubt and guilt continued to gnaw at his thoughts. Everything seemed to be falling apart, and he didn't know how to stop it.

* * *

Naruto woke up with her head on Sasuke's hoody, slumped over the two chairs with an unfamiliar waterproof covering her; confusion reigned until she caught sight of the room's interior; they must have moved at some time during the night because she was back in the waiting room. Or had someone moved her?

She sat up, rubing the sleep from her eyes, looking round the room for Sasuke.

"I see you're finally awake"

Naruto blinked at the bright morning light before finally adjusting her gaze enough to recognise the speaker; Tsunade sat on one of the chairs in her mauve scrubs, the ones separating her from the rest of the surgeons and doctors, and had a grim look on her face. Naruto blinked again in surprise at the visitor – had Tsunade been waiting for her to wake up?

"Tsunade?" the question hung on her name, and the blonde woman removed herself from the chair to take a seat beside her instead.  
"Minato told me what happened when I came in for my shift, so I thought I'd come keep an eye on you until things started hotting up on the wards"

Naruto nodded; she was glad to see her midwife right now. She had grown quite close to the woman during her check ups and the week or so she spent recovering from the birth of Tamamo. The woman reminded her of Mikoto in a way, but it wasn't quite the same; she supposed she was more like a grandmother (albeit a young-looking one).

"Where's Sasuke?" she asked; she had noted his absence almost immediately, and for a brief irrational moment she had felt like panicking. The fight from the night before was still fresh in her mind, and she had no idea where it had come from.

Even if she had done something that stupid, Sasuke never shouted like that. He just ignored and glared for days on end and made snide comments till his ego had recovered. Something had snapped last night, and she didn't know what it was.

"His father came by early this morning; he took him to find Minato so they could get the details, amongst _other_ things"

Naruto supposed that explained the jacket – Fugaku worried like that – but she did raise an eyebrow at the mention of _'other'_ things. Tsunade gave her a calm, calculating glance, seemingly assessing her thoughts with that one glance.

"Minato tells me you and Sasuke were tripping over each other like piles of glass before he left the ICU last night; you want to talk?"

Naruto found that she did, finding the words forming on her tongue almost before she could think of them. It was easier talking to Tsunade than it would have been if she had been talking to Sakura ore Mikoto – Sakura wouldn't understand, and there was no way she could talk about relationship problems with her boyfriend's mother.

She started at the beginning, explaining all the doubts and obstinacy that hade made her so focused on the adoption option for most of her pregnancy, then the mixed emotions she'd felt when she saw the steely-blue eyes of her daughter, before finally getting to the fight.

"I don't know where it came from – it was like an explosion. We shouldn't have been that angry at each other; I know I made a mistake, but I know Sasuke too, and he never yells at me unless it's something really serious, and that was just... that was just _stupid_. I think if Tamamo hadn't intervened with her problems, he really would have walked out on me, over something as petty as..."

She buried her head in her hands – feeling the sleep-dulled emotions beginning to churn once again. Even after talking about it all, _nothing_ made sense.

"I don't understand what happened; everything was _fine._ Everything was working out – it wasn't easy for the first month, but it was _working_, and I thought all that crap was behind me, and now... I just don't know. Hell spawn is sick, and the spawners aren't doing so hot either... it's all a _mess_"

Head in her knees, she didn't see the momentary flicker of doubt on Tsunade's face, nor the way she bit her lip as if considering something, before pulling her head up from her knees.

"What happened is incredibly simple Naruto; you may have been managing well – probably better than some other girl's I've met in your situation – but that doesn't change the fact that being a parent, was more than you were ready for."

Naruto stared at her in confusion, before feeling the anger building up.

"What's that supposed to mean? I've been doing _fine!_ Sasuke and I read all the books, and covered the plug sockets and all that stuff – we both have a job, and we both keep up with school, not that I really go, but we were fine! Tamamo was fine! I know she isn't now, but-"

A pointed look from Tsunade silenced her.

"If you're so fine, then why are you so defensive? I do not doubt that you've done everything you can, and probably better than some women my own age would, but the fact that your daughter is in here is a case point."

Naruto stared at her in angry confusion.

"Naruto, you've only just passed your seventeenth birthday by a few months. I'm not saying you aren't a good parent, because you're doing a lot better than some women just by _being here_, but you've been trying to do everything by yourself, Sasuke too. You've done a good job, but the reason things snapped is the same reason you booked an abortion in the first place, and I think you know that."

Naruto bit her lip.

"You've been focusing on Tamamo Naruto, and that's good, but if you don't take a break, or let the people around you lend a hand, what happened last night will happen again – a child is a lot of responsibility, and a lot of married couples wait a few years before having children. You simply haven't matured enough to deal with that kind of responsibility by yourself yet."

"But Sasu-"

"Sasuke is only a few months older than you are Naruto; you cannot rely on him and _only_ him. Mikoto and Fugaku have been trying to tell you this for _weeks!_ You have to let them help Naruto, or this will chew you from the inside out"

Naruto stared her, not knowing how was she was supposed to take this... this _intervention_, she supposed. She wanted to yell and scream that Tsunade was wrong, that she could handle it, but the fact that she was even speaking to the woman now was proof that _something_ had slipped from her control.

Her outburst to Karui flashed in her mind, and she bit her lip – Tsunade was right. She was not ready for all of this. She welcomed Tamamo with every fibre of her being but that wasn't enough. Mikoto and Fugaku knew that, and they had both been blocking her every attempt to get through to them.

"But... the thing with Kakashi had nothing to do with that" she whispered hoarsely.

Tsunade sighed and put an arm about her shoulders in a comforting gesture; Naruto was glad she hadn't decided to hug her. Those jugs of hers would probably have suffocated her – how the heck did the woman carry those around all day? Surely she got back pain?

"Frustration comes out whenever the timing suits it – it doesn't matter if the topic is relevant or not. When the pressure gets too much it just..."  
"...it just snaps" Naruto finished quietly, leaning into the woman's shoulder.

She was surprised to find that the stern talk from the woman had been a relief, and she was even more surprised by how easily Tsunade seemed to find her way to the root of her previously unnoticed problems. Instead of being mad, she was grateful for the midwife's help.

Thanks to Tsunade things didn't seem nearly as confusing or completely hopeless as they had last night.

* * *

Tsunade walked down the corridors with her, as if to make certain she didn't get herself into more hogwash on the way to the ICU. When she got there, she found Sasuke and Fugaku waiting outside the door. Judging by the pensive look on Sasuke's face, he had received a similar talk from his father.

Fugaku caught sight of her, and kept his steady gaze on her until she was standing in front of him; he raised an eyebrow, as if daring her to say something before turning to say something – it sounded like a thank you of some kind. He turned away as the woman left for her real job, and turned back to Naruto.

"I trust your stubornness is not going to be a problem anymore?"

Naruto shook her head – Mikoto may be the teacher of the glare, but Fugaku didn't even need the glare to be terrifying. He did all the shit inducing fear with just his tone of voice.

"Good – I've already told Sasuke, but you will be moving in with Mikoto and me instead of that halfway-apartment. We won't be able to help if you live on the other side of the city. Itachi and Obito are already packing things up."

Naruto's eyes widened a fraction but she continued to nod obediently.

"I've spoken with the headmaster of Sasuke's school, and he's agreed to let you join a few revision classes and let you take your exams there. Just because you have a child now is no excuse to fall behind in your studies."

Naruto felt her eye's widen again, but she kept nodding – she didn't dare point out that she was keeping up with her school work just fine now that she was no longer attending it. That would be suicide.

"Are we clear? No more of this... this trying to do everything by yourself – and don't think I'm not talking to you too young man – you need help. End of discussion."

Naruto dumbly nodded again, still to petrified to even consider arguing with the man. A glance at Sasuke showed a wild look in his eyes, as if he was looking for some sort of exit. She wondered if, should he find one, he would let her tag along – Fugaku was scaring the shit out of her.

"Good; now, I am going to visit my granddaughter. When I come out, I expect to see you two still in one piece, and to have sorted whatever mess you two call _thinking_. Capice?"

They both nodded this time, breath held until he had disappeared into the ward, muttering irritably to himself about early graves and ungodly hours of the morning. The relief when he disappeared into the side room to pull on those blue overalls was immediate.

Naruto caught Sasuke caught Sasuke's gaze from the corner of her eye, and bit her lip; she supposed this was the part where everything was to be cleared up and smoothed over, but she had never been very good at that. Neither had Sasuke for that matter.

For god's sake the last time they had argued it had taken breaking her saxophone on a wall, an intervention from Orochimaru, and loosing her virginity to a Sasuke look-a-like to beat the need for discussion into her thick skull.

Even _then_ the whole affair had been little more than a blubering bawling mess. She still didn't know what had made Sasuke swallow his own pride – the stiffening of his shoulder and wild, slightly terrorised look that crossed onto his face when ever she mentioned it made think she was better off not knowing.

She caught Sasuke's look and they both turned away their gaze awkwardly; running away seemed like a very good idea right now, but that just added more fuel t to the fire of Tsunade's words. Damn woman, making her see reason like that.

"We left the window open" she noted.  
Sasuke grunted.

"I should have said something"  
Sasuke grunted.

"...we aren't fine are we?"  
Sasuke shook his head.

"Your dad scares me, but he makes a good point."  
Sasuke nodded.

Naruto gave him a withering look; she was trying to communicate here! The least he could do was give her the same courtesy! Stupid, ungrateful, anti-social-

"I'm sorry"

It was so quiet that she almost missed it; her eyes snapped towards Sasuke in astonishment. Why was he the one apologizing? She was the one who had messed everything up... or was she missing something? Everything seemed so fuzzy now...

Her puzzled expression must have shown on her face, because he looked her in the eye, an expression of complete apologetic sincerity clearly visible.

"I said... I... presumed..."

He frowned, clearly trying to think of a way to explain without sounding... she didn't really know. He was acting weird. He looked guilty – that was odd. There seemed to be a hint of fear there too. Why on earth would he be scared?

"I accused you of... of having second thoughts about Tamamo..."

The conversation flooded back to her, and her eyes furrowed into a very unpleasant stare; she had barley heard that at the time – she had been too busy worrying about the baby in question - but now that she was a bit more lucid...

Without a hint of restraint her fingers curled into a fist and slammed into his face; there was a satisfying crack as something cracked, and Sasuke was sent crashing into a storage cart.

"You... you... _you ass! _You absolute freaking _Asshole!_ You Prick! You... You _Git_! You..._ You_...!"

Sasuke pulled himself to his to his feet, hissing at the raging stabs of pain in his nose (which may be broken, if the bleeding was anything to go by), only to sent flying back down by another violent fist.

* * *

Fugaku, much to the horror of the blonde paediatrician who he had been discussing the finer details of Tamamo's condition with, gave his two headaches an approving nod as the doctor did his best to fix his son's nose.

By the time he had realised what he had been hearing in the corridor, Naruto had given Sasuke a black eye and a split lip on top of the broken nose. Most parents, or people for that matter, would have been horrified, but Fugaku was relieved.

The phone call from Itachi – after being awoken for car services - had been alarming on several levels, and thanks to the speaker phone, Mikoto had kicked him out of bed and ordered him to fix things.

Mikoto had a habit of making him sleep on the couch when she was irritated. The threat wasn't really necessary, but it was definitely motivation.

Upon arrival, it had been like waking on eggshells, nails, barbed wire, crushed glass, and broken china. The two stuborn idiots had been edging around each other with barley a glance as he had frog-marched them back to the waiting room (sleeping in the _ICU__?_).

The gap between them as they took seats at the opposite ends of the same sofa had been glaringly obvious.

The moment they had both fallen asleep, he had gone looking for that midwife Naruto was so fond of; the woman had listened for about five seconds before reassuring him that she would pound some sense back into Naruto's head.

That sorted, he had tugged on Sasuke's ear, jolting him awake, and dragged him off for a nice, long, _chat._ There had been shouting, defensive shouting, muttering, grumbling, grunting, and silence, but he was certain he had gotten his point across.

Getting the point across wasn't a fix-all though. He could fix Sasuke, and Tsunade had done a good job of fixing Naruto, but neither of them could fix the most important part of the problem. That was why he left them to their little dispute in the hallway.

Sasuke, from what he had heard during that chat, had already said his peace. Naruto, however, still needed to get her say in. Considering what an ignorant _ass_ his son had been, Naruto's reaction had been a fair one.

Besides, she'd given him a black on the same eye after he asked her out; he believed her precise words had been _'that was for taking your goddamned freaking time to __ask__ me you __ass__!'_

"I can't believe you _broke_ his nose!" Minato mumbled; he shook his head as he dabbed at Sasuke's eye with some cotton wool soaked in a cleaning fluid, before moving to his lip.

Naruto was still glaring at Sasuke, but the gap that had been between them the previous night had vanished as if it had never been the in the first place. Sasuke winced and hissed at the doctor's ministrations, but there was a tiny smirk creeping back onto his face.

Fugaku silently patted himself on the back for a job well done.

* * *

Naruto dropped her paintbrush with shaking hands; towards the end of the exam, she had panicked because she had spent far too long on getting the statue's none right, and had forgotten almost an entire half of the still life.

She had been franticly globbing paint all over the place, and the red of that lily still didn't look right to her, but she had finished her last exam with moments to spare. Her hands were still shaking as she walked out of the room in search of Hinata.

The girl would have finished her business administration exam before her Art one ended – the only thing she hated about the art exam was how long it lasted. All. Freaking. Day. There had been a break in the morning, and one for lunch, but still!

After the intervention from Fugaku (which really meant Mikoto), Naruto had moved in with Sasuke and his parents, though it was more like forced. Itachi and Obito had somehow, through means beyond the realm of human comprehension, removed all her things from the halfway flat and moved them into their parent's house in one day, leaving her little choice in the matter.

Apparently, Fugaku hadn't been joking about the schoolwork thing either; once Mikoto was certain she had settled in, she had called Sasuke's head teacher down to go over things – the tiny old dude was a bit mad, and he really should think anout retirement if his hips were as bad as he complained, but he was nice enough.

He was a heck of a lot nicer than Mr. Shimura had been, but she didn't really think that took a lot of effort. The parasitical worms in Sakura's biology books were probably nicer than him, and they were _parasitical worms_.

As wary as she had been for the first few weeks, she had to admit it was a lot better than trying to do everything by themselves; Mikoto was a lot better at the jiggle than she was, and the expertise that she could provide if needed was very valuable.

Fugaku was helpful too, even if he was a scary old man sometimes; if he thought she was pushing herself, he literally removed Tamamo from her line of sight. He had managed to make her drop a bag of nappies with a mere glare once.

Once he sat her down and began going over her schoolwork, she began to realise she had been wrong about keeping up with it; he was very patient though, and she soon caught up.

A notable change was her relationship with Sasuke; now that she didn't rely on him first and foremost, and that there were other people around, things were startlingly easier than they had been. Compared to now, things had been so murky.

There had been barley any changes but the effects were amazing; she had her own room since Itachi and Obito had places of their own, and that change alone had removed what seemed like a mountain. She still spent the night in his room, but not actually having to was an unexpected relief.

The biggest change though was Tamamo – she had spent two horribly long weeks in that hospital, but once she had come out she was right as rain. Mikoto had shouted loudly at her when she found out about her attempt to try getting her onto solids early.

Naruto had abandoned the idea until Mikoto gave her specific permission – the woman wasn't totally barbaric though, and sympathised enough to let her use the formulated stuff, something Naruto was very grateful for.

Considering the way the girl seemed to double in size after one month of Mikoto-approved diet, it was probably a good thing the woman had been around to point her in the right direction.

It had been a year since those first awful 24 hours that had prompted Mikoto and Fugaku to recruit Tsunade and have an intervention, and it was the middle of November. She was eighteen, and Tamamo had reached her first birthday.

She was much more active now, crawling about all over the place, making incomprehensible baby talk; she was quick as lightning, and too good at hiding for her comfort - she was too quiet to be found immediately.

Tamamo was showing the traits of the perfect prankster; Sasuke's quiet demeanour, and logical thinking, along with her sense of mischief and creativity. The perfect blend for trouble. She sometimes disappeared for up to an hour, only to show up looking smug at the mania she had sent her parents and grandparents into, laughing like a maniac. God the laughing.

Naruto did not squeal, but the first time she had hear that she had been jumping up and down and crowning with delight in a manner horribly reminiscent of the girls in the night classes that fawned over her boyfriend.

Sasuke had insisted on going with her to those classes, and she had been utterly disgusted by the simpering. No wonder the only girl Sasuke seemed to know from the school was Hinata. Apparently Sasuke's headmaster had been a little more discreet about things than her own, because they hadn't known a thing about Tamamo.

A smirk of glee crossed her face as she walked down a corridor, remembering their faces when they found out. Sakura and Gaara had come by with the girl after one of those classes; the girls were convinced that Tamamo was _their_ daughter, and Naruto was the babysitter.

Or at least they had. Sakura had caught on right away when Naruto told her that babysitting was no problem , and they had carried on like that (Gaara's choking noise had almost sent them into hysterics of their own at one point though). That had continued until Sasuke tuned up.

Tamamo, catching sight of him as he headed towards them with Shino, Hinata, and Choji, had immediately brightened. As soon as he was in arms width she reached out, demanding her father to hug her in her baby garble with a firm look on her face. Choji – oblivious - had commented on how cute his daughter was.

It took several long moments for that to penetrate the thick skulls of the girls; they had been convinced that despite being in a by then five year relationship, they still stood a chance. Choji - bless his good hearted soul – had completely shattered that illusion. The memory of their faces still brought tears of laughter to her eyes.

She skipped down the stairs two at a time before landing o the ground floor and heading for the locker room. She quickly located Hinata and Sasuke, talking to Neji about the exams. Sasuke had probably just finished his physics exam. She grinned at the sight of his turned back, and crept up silently behind them.

Hinata saw her, but managed to remain blank faced, and she managed to scare the stuffing out of him by catapulting herself onto his back. Once he regained his composer he tried glaring her off, and filed miserably.

"Get off" he told her bluntly.

She pouted and he rolled his eyes; steering him like a hose, she pulled her shoes from her own locker.

Neji shook his head as they left the gates; Naruto frowned. Neji was so droll sometimes. Maybe she could hook him up with someone from work - maybe Shioin? She had enough backbone to keep up with him. She'd have to see if the girl was seeing anyone tonight...

She finally felt pity for Sasuke, and hopped onto the concrete once they had reached the pavement beyond the school gates. As they walked along beside Neji and Hinata, towards Neji's car (stupid lucky graduates and their stupid cars), she ran her thoughts over everything that had happened in the past two years.

It felt good. She wouldn't deny that it had been hard, especially in the first few months, but... it was working now. For a moment it had been falling around her ears, but not anymore. She hadn't thought once about looking for her parents.

she still wondered – she couldn't help it, every time she saw her daughter's eyes she grew curios – and saved part of her pay check for the task (Killer Bee's was still going strong), but actually doing something was far from her worries right now.

It felt good.

* * *

"I'm back! I'm back! Where are they?"

Naruto raced into the house, hopping a long on one foot as she tried to remove her shoes in her haste; she had been at killer bees to go over the changes that would be made once he branched out into Wind, Earth, and Lightning Country.

Samui and Karui would be leaving to manage one of the new stores until they got onto their feet, so she would be in charge of the original – Omoi was awesome, but Killer Bee thought he was a little too absent minded for the job.

It sounded horribly daunting, but since she got a pay rise she wasn't going to complain – she had already asked killer bee if Ino could have her old job as stock manager, and she had several cunning plans on advertising in her head.

She was envisioning Kiba and Sasuke in hand-painted sandwich-boards – Tamamo loved paint, and Naruto loved torturing her boyfriend. Sasuke wouldn't be able to argue once she mentioned letting Tamamo help make the boards.

She had been going over some of the details of the promotion when Sasuke had called – the exam results were back. She had never run so fast in her life. Hopping into the living room, she found Tamamo babbling away about her crayon scribble to Itachi, and she grinned a little.

Tamamo was almost more fond of Itachi than she was Sasuke, and though she glared at Obito a lot, she sometimes caught a smug little smirk on her face that told her Tamamo had a somewhat warped sense of humour.

"Where are they?" she asked breathlessly, taking hold of the sofa-arm to regain her balance as she pulled of her other shoe.

Tamamo looked up from the mass of waxy scribbles and smiled as she caught sight of her mother; she babbled something in incomprehensible baby talk, holding the picture up proudly, then waving it towards Itachi.

"I don't know – Sasuke opened his own and went a little crazy; I think he went looking for father, but I can't be sure – I think I'm supposed to sit still" he gestured towards Tamamo, who immediately glared at his moving arm before dropping her picture and beginning to crawl towards her mother.

Naruto grinned in greeting as the girl crawled over; she took hold of the sofa to pull herself up, and reached out one arm, clenching and unclenching her fingers. Naruto picked her up and blew a raspberry in her ear before kissing her temple.– earning a gleeful giggle from the girl. It was the customary greeting when she returned from Killer Bee's.

"Hello Hell Spawn" she mumbled, before setting the girl back down.

"I think he'll be back in a minuet or so" Itachi told her, pulling himself up from the floor and stretching – Tamamo made a loud number for protesting noises, and pouted petulantly when he left the room.

Naruto finally succeeded in pulling off her shoes and started on her yellow duffel coat. After handing it up, she pulled off the blue hat and scarf that had been keeping out the December cold. She sat down, watching Tamamo as she began to scribble another drawing with the crayons.

She was unusually nervous about how well she had done on the exams; it wasn't like she needed them for a job or anything – she didn't see Killer Bee's going under any time soon – but Fugaku had worked her ass to the bone, and she would probably scream and swear if she hadn't achieved halfway decent grades.

Tamamo reached out a hand for one crayon, but missed, sending it rolling across the floor to land against the side of her feet. As she picked it up, there was the loud sound of frantic feet coming from beyond the walls of the living room.

Turning, she was greeted by her frantic boyfriend as he dashed in from the kitchen; judging by the wet, dirty socks on his feet, he had been in the garden. Catching sight of her, he darted round, jumped to sit on his knees beside her, grasping her shoulders.

"I got them! Physics and maths and Chemistry and that other one – remember I applied for that apprenticeship with that electricians firm in the hokage district? They gave me a conditional, remember?"

he was very wide-eyed, almost jumping up and down on the seat; her own eyes lit up a little – he had been like a moody cow when he got the conditional – his maths grade had been as bad as her own, and wood and metal work (the other one) was not an area he was especially skilled in.

"Even maths?" she asked, beginning to wonder about her own grades.  
"Are you listening? I just said that! They sent me a letter telling me they'd accepted the application with my results!"

She stared at him for a few moments as the news sunk into her brain, then she launched her self at him babbling something congratulatory that even she couldn't make out. She had been irritated when he called her away from Killer Bee's without warning, but this was a different kettle of fish.

Sasuke had been after a job as an electrician as far back as she could remember; they had gone to the same primary school, and she remembered he always stole the builders box and hacked away at any plug sockets he could get his hands on with a plastic screwdriver (the teachers hadn't liked that very much).

She was so distracted she didn't notice Tamamo staring at the crayon in her hand.  
"This is great and all, but I'd kinda like to see my results too" Naruto told him pointedly, after the small celebration was over.

Sasuke blinked, then looked a little sheepish; he handed her an envelope with her own name on; she rolled her eyes as she opened it up – he had been so hyped up he had taken her results with him.

"watch her" she instructed with a wave towards Tamamo, pulling out her own letter from the envelope.

She scanned her eyes over the paper examining the letters placed beside the different subjects; Art & Design – A, Music – A. Languages: Lightning – B. A slow smile spread on her face at the first three results.

Her art exam hadn't gone as badly as she had first thought. Music had been easy – she had just played her Sax for that, and considering that the owner of the shop she worked at and his kids were from lightning country, and spoke the language fluently, it would have been embarrassing to fail it when she heard it every other day.

"Naruto..."

Sasuke's voice sounded calmer, and a little rushed; he even poked her on the shoulder in an effort to hurry her along.

"Shut up Sasuke, I'm still looking!" she grumbled turning back to the paper.

Maths – C, History – C, Geography – B, Politics – C, Chemistry – A, Hospitality – B, and a B in her native tongue. They were all passes. They were all passes! Holy mackerel and the love of ducks! She hadn't even finished the paper in history! She started again at the paper, intending to make sure she wasn't seeing things, but was interrupted by a savage thump on the shoulder from her boyfriend.

"Ouch! What the hell was-"  
"Naruto, Tamamo's walking!" he hissed in amazement pointing at Tamamo.

Her head turned, her eyes wide as she stared t the year old girl; Sasuke was right. She was very shaky, and her steps were tiny, but she was heading towards them, upright, one unsteady foot at a time, her eyes fixed on the crayon she held absently in her hand.

Naruto dropped to the floor onto her knees, crayon clearly in view; Tamamo fixed her eyes on it like a predator and shuffled forward on her wobbly little legs. She wobbled once as she drew closer to her target, putting her hands down to stop herself from toppling completely, then pulled herself back up and continued her journey.

She toppled onto her mothers lap, oblivious to the stun she had just caused her parents, and latched onto the crayon in triumph. Naruto, the first to recover, clamped her arms around the young toddler, and began whirling her around the room, crowing with delight.

"She's walking! She's walking!" she yelled as she danced around, smothering the girl in kisses. It took several moments for Sasuke to catch up, despite being the first to notice.

A laugh escaped from him moments before he joined her, squashing both the red-heads a little, yelling his own tune. The noise was enough to drag Itachi back into the room with Fugaku.

"What on earth is going on now? I could hear you in the garden..." the oldest Uchiha asked, as his eyes were greeted with the cheerful chaos in his living room.

Naruto elbowed Sasuke, forcing him to let go of her. She bent down, placing Tamamo back down, but took a fem moments to mumble something to her, careful to be unheard by Fugaku or Itachi.

"_Granddad has one of your crayons in his pocket Tamamo – go get it back okay? It's your green one"_

Tamamo was awfully fond of her green crayons, and the one in question had gone missing a few days ago. It was in fact, amongst the pages of a fantasy novel Naruto was reading, serving as a bookmark, but Fugaku and Tamamo didn't know that.

Tamamo stared at her grandfather for a few moments, before toddling over on shaky legs once again, holding her hands out demandingly, making noises that presumably instructed him to hand over her favourite crayon. The two new comers stared at her then at Naruto, who was hopping up and down.

"She's walking! I passed everything, Sasuke's apprenticeship came through, and she's walking! Walking! Walking! Walking!" she chirped excitedly.

Ino was going to be spitting jealous when she heard this! Mujiro hadn't started yet – Ino blamed Shikamaru, accusing him of passing on his laziness. Sakura was going to turn Gaara deaf, and Obito would be cursing – Tamamo already terrified him, and she was hard enough to run away from when she was crawling, but now she was Walking. Walking!

she threw her arms around Sasuke, forcing him to spin around for a moment, deciding this was one time where joyful squealing would be acceptable, before running to find her phone; she felt the sudden urge to video the event and send it everyone she knew and their great uncle twice removed.

It briefly occurred to her that, having reached the walking stage, Tamamo's little jokes and hiding games would be that much more terrorizing, and she would be near impossible to catch, but she didn't care. Everything was the way it should be, and that was good enough for her.

* * *

_"Naruto, have you thought about going to see Kakashi about finding your parents again?"_ Sakura asked over the phone.

She and Gaara had both been accepted into National University in the capital, one of the best in the whole country, and communication was only possible with phones and email. Sakura was beginning the long arduous process of becoming a surgeon, and Gaara was doing something to do with food.

"Not really, why?" Naruto answered.

She was on the sofa, apparently watching a children's alphabet programme, but she was beginning to doubt if it was really suitable for kids – the puppets on it weirded her out.

There was the sound of Sakura struggling as she tried to word her answer to the question.

"T_hings are going well for you right now; you need to start when things are good, if you don't, things will keep popping up that make you push it aside, and you'll never get to it if you do that."_

Naruto chewed her lip as Tamamo glared disapprovingly at the TV screen; it seemed she was not very impressed with the programme either, and clambered down from Naruto's lap and toddled into the kitchen. No doubt whatever Mikoto was cooking was far more interesting if it smelled that good.

"I don't know Sakura... I thought everything was going well the last time I tried, and look how that turned out!" Naruto replied tensely, flicking the TV onto a different, slightly more violent channel.

Sakura snorted.

"_Naruto, forgive me, but you were being thick headed then; things aren't like that now. Trust me when I say the longer you put this off, the worse it will be if you do find someone – I'm speaking from experience here."_

Naruto couldn't exactly argue with that – she had been with Sakura when she finally met her father, and while some of the nervousness had been because she was in the middle of a maximum security prison, most of it had been meeting Sasori for the first time.

"Yeah, but that was the first time you tried! You didn't keep repeating the whole damn mess like I did with Iruka when we were in the orphanage!" Naruto replied, still adamantly trying to keep herself from falling into Sakura's trap.

"_...actually, I did try before that, but I didn't find anything then. Either that or Iruka thought I was too young to know the truth, even if I asked – you know how mother hen he can be – anyway... I felt worse because I hadn't tried again after that, because I had left it so long..."_

What fresh hell? Sakura had a skeleton? Sakura hated skeletons! She kept her closet so clean even dust wouldn't enter it, and here she had a skeleton? That was her thing! Sakura was stealing her thing!

But skeleton stealing aside, Naruto had to admit Sakura had a point – if any word of that was the truth. Who knew? If Sakura had a skeleton, then doomsday might not be far away.

"_I think you should talk to him about it Naruto; it's not like he's going to find anything right away remember? I started looking for Sasori six months before getting past all the legal stuff and finding anything new."_

That was also true. Damn Sakura and her ability to point out sense-making things. Damn her and her logic!  
There was a mumble from someone else on the other end of the line.

"I_ know Gaara! I was just about to tell her that! Stop poking me! I'll ask her once I finish talking about the abandonment thing!"_ Sakura hissed in reply, barley audible, but still loud enough for Naruto to her.

There was more whispering, hushed too low for Naruto to make out, then the sound of Sakura having one of her violent tendencies again (Naruto swore those were the reason she had never been adopted). Moments later the was a scrabble as the phone was picked up again.

"_Sorry – back to the point, Kakashi might not even find anything Naruto – Gaara wanted me to remind you that Temari never found their father after he dumped them on the doorstep."_

"That may be true, but it's also bull – consider my abandonment thing dealt with for the moment. What did you really call for?"  
_"Promise me you'll talk to Kakashi first!"_

damn it.

"...Urgh. Fine. I promise."  
_"You promise what?"_

Sakura was too damn smart for her own damn good. Damn it.

"I promise I'll talk to Kakashi about finding my parents again! There! Are you satisfied?"  
_"Yup."_

She could feel the smug grin on Sakura's face through her voice.

"Good! I hope you're happy! Now tell me what you called for!"

There was another pause; there was more mumbling from Sakura – worried sounding mumbling. Dozens of nightmarish scenarios flashed through her mind before Sakura returned to the phone.

"O_kay... I'm gonna tell you, but you have to promise me you're not going to freak out alright?"_

That was not the best of things Sakura could have started off with.

"You'd better not be pregnant; I'll get Itachi to drive me to the capital and kill Gaara myself if you are. And I'll tell Tayuya!"  
_"I'm not pregnant – I'm not stupid like you"_  
"I'm not stupid! I took pills! Sasuke forgot the damn condom!"

"F_ine – Gaara remembers condoms - but you do raise a good point; Tayuya's going to throw a fit if I don't tell her before someone else does... I'll have to call her after you..."_

"Sakura get to the point!" Naruto yelled, frustration growing by the second.

Sakura didn't sound like she was dying, and she was not pregnant, but that still left alcoholism, drugs, debt, and a whole manner of other horrible things. Oh god, what if that jashin freak Hidan from school had dragged her into his freaky cult? Tayuya had mentioned that he went to national as well...

"G_ive me a moment! This is... I'm nervous alright?"_

Dear god this phone call was getting stranger by the minuet; what could Sakura possibly have to say that would make her nervous? They were best friends – there was nothing they didn't know about each other.

Naruto had tried to hide her original attempt at abortion, but she would have told Sakura about it later, even if she'd had no intentions of telling Sasuke. Why was she nervous?

"_I... Gaaraaskedmetomarryhim!"_

Naruto blinked. She deciphered the rushed babble of words, deciphering them slowly.

"What?" Naruto shrieked.

Of all the things that had been running through her head, that was not one of them; tat was not, strictly speaking, a disaster after all. But still... what?

"_what kind of answer is that? You're supposed to say congratulations!"_

"I thought that jashin freak had roped you into his cult! I'm a little surprised here! But you're right, congratulations!"  
_"...What the heck? Hidan? Are you nuts? Hell no! Now we can get down to buisness; can Gaara stay with you for the night next weekend?"_

Naruto riffled through her plans for the next few weeks, trying to find anything that it clashed with.

"I'll have to ask Mikoto and Fugaku, but as long as they don't mind he can use my room; why?

"H_e wants to meet my dad – he's wants his permission or something like that. And I want to know when his parole is coming up! If it's soon, we can get him a lawyer and try for early release, then he can come do that aisle thing! I want the aisle thing! But anyway, next weekend is the only one he has before our half-term tests start. I'd send him to Tayuya, but she's moved in with Juugo, and since Temari and Kankuro live down here now..."_

Sakura left the obvious problem floating in the air, and Naruto felt her self nodding in understanding, even if Sakura couldn't see her doing so; it seemed this wasn't quite as mad a decision as she had first thought – Sakura clearly intended to wait before the actual wedding if she was planning on having her dad there.

"Alright – I'll check, but I think it'll be okay." Naruto promised, raising an eyebrow as Tamamo toddled back into the living room with a bowl of something from the kitchen.

The girl held out the bowl beneath her nose – Naruto could see rice and vegetables in a thick spicy kind of soup. It smelled good. Then again, Mikoto's food always smelled good. It always looked edible too – her food still didn't look right, even with Mikoto's tutoring.

"T_hank you! Can you go with him to the prison too? I was supposed to go, but my exams start before his do! You know how Gaara is; he can't talk when he get nervous! He might get killed if he turns into a block of wood in the middle of the prison! And he likes you!"_

Rhat puzzled her, and Naruto frowned as she took the small spoon that her daughter held in front of her and consumed the contents - it was spicy. It tasted like the food from that Iwan take-out near Killer bee's she sometimes ordered from when she worked a late shift.

She nodded approvingly, and Tamamo brightened, before dashing back into the kitchen seeming rather proud of herself. Naruto supposed Mikoto had allowed her to _'help'_ her with whatever she was cooking.

"Sakura, I've only met the man once, and that was almost three years ago – how can he like me when I've only met him once?" she asked, thoroughly confused.

"B_ecause I told him about you of course! Did you bang your head today or something?"_

No, but she had been watching creepy puppets for two hours before Sakura called, and Sasuke was not around to rescue her from the horror of toddler TV – his boss sounded nice enough (though the thought of all his supposed piercings was creepy), but he didn't seem to know what the word break meant.

Mikoto seemed to think she had overworked herself at Killer Bee's the night before, so she had banned her from doing anything that she deemed too strenuous. Naruto had been taking extra hours recently, wanting to save up some extra money to put with the small pile Sasuke was collecting through his apprenticeship.

They were both desperate to get out of his parent's house now – it wasn't that the help had been unappreciated, but... damn it, she wanted sex without the risk of people walking in, and frankly, Mikoto was getting a little too protective.

That wasn't a bad thing, but they really needed to be by themselves. They had both grown up, and could handle things now; it wouldst be like they would block everyone out this time. They had learned.

"I've been watching toddler TV all day – some of that stuff is enough to make anyone a little off. I can't believe they show it to kids..."

"W_hatever! Please go to the jail with Gaara!"_

the pleading in her friends voice almost made her laugh – she didn't sound like the Sakura she knew at all – but instead, she reassured the stressed girl.

"I promise your boyf- fiancé will not be eaten by murderers or turn into a block of wood Sakura." Naruto replied, feeling her grin coming back onto her face – Sakura was such a worry wart. She would be a great surgeon.

Sakura ended the phone call with a squeal of thanks and promises to make it back in time for the two October birthdays, when the holidays would begin. she forced Gaara onto the phone for a few moments, but Gaara didn't have much to say other than much of the things already discussed, so that ended quickly.

By the time she had replaced the phone on the hook, Tamamo was standing patiently behind her; the girl was smart, and Mikoto had managed to drill manners into her despite Naruto's awful language – she never spoke when someone was on the phone.

Her first word had been _'Mama'_, closely followed by _'No'_, then _'Papa'_, then _'Tooofu'_. She had started talking in may – five months after walking - and while she was an enthusiastic talker, she was a quiet one.

Sometimes her excitement got the better of her though, and then her mouth was just as fast as her mother's was; one notable instance was whenever the deep-fryer came out. She immediately thought of tofu, and began to gabble excitedly about it until someone fried some off and chopped it into toddler-sized pieces.

"Grams made soup! I put mice in!" she told her calmly.

Naruto grinned at her; the pointed tone in her small voice betrayed her excitement more than the word mix up – she had only been talking for three months now, so that was understandable.

"Lucky tyke; that's more than she'll let me do – you put a lot of rice in?"

The girl nodded vigorously, her slate-blue eyes glinting with exhilaration. For the first time in what seemed like months, Naruto found herself wondering where her daughter's eyes had come from. She let Tamamo drag her to the dining room, but her thoughts were not on the food.

Sakura's orders kept coming back to her, and she had mixed ideas on whether she should follow them or not.

* * *

Sasuke was staring at a book his new teacher/employer had given him on re-wiring fuseboxes, and he was beginning to thank the gods he had studies so hard for his maths exam – the diagrams alone where near unintelligible. He wasn't anywhere near being let loose on a fusebox yet, but Yahiko told him the early bird always caught the worm.

He didn't really think arguing with a man with almost as many piercings as he had nails was a good idea. Especially when he paid him. He was grateful for Naruto's interruption when she peered around his bedroom door when she did – his glasses had been beginning to hurt his nose.

He hated the things, but near-sightedness seemed to be a defect from his fathers side of the family – Itachi and Obito had glasses too, but he couldn't stand contacts or glasses long enough to stick with one or the other, and often switched.

Naruto hovered on the edge of the doorway, twisting a lock of hair around her fingers nervously, before coming to sit down on the bed beside his desk.

"Sakura called" she started,  
Sasuke frowned.

"I know – you told us at dinner remember?" he reminded carefully.  
She looked pensive; he hadn't seen her look like that for a long time.

"I know... but she said something else too" Naruto mumbled.

She pulled her knees up to rest her chin on them, frown marring her face slightly. He waited for her to find the words she was looking for patiently – that was always the best rad to take when she was in this kind of mood – she didn't like being backed into a corner.

"She... pointedly suggested that... She thinks I should call Kakashi again" she said quietly; it wasn't a whisper, just quiet, and he turned towards her with surprise on his face.

He wasn't quite as surprised as he perhaps might have been a couple of years previously; since thing things had... cleared, he had finally seen the confusion and questions on Naruto's face every time she looked at Tamamo's.

She had only mentioned her parents in answer when questioned since that time, but she hadn't buried them completely. He doubted she ever would be able to. He could see that much now, so much he wondered how he had missed it before.

"I don't know if it's a good idea or not – I think I want to, but I don't know if I should. So, I'm asking for some help here..."

He gave him a pointed look as she bit her lip – he thought about; he understood Naruto's hesitance, considering what had happened the last time she tried, but it was unfounded. Things were different now.

Besides, Sakura was probably right to point it out; the longer Naruto dragged this around with her, the more of a problem it would be for her. For them. For Tamamo. She needed to get this out of the way.

"I think... Sakura's right. The sooner you find out, the sooner it'll stop following you" he told her calmly.

She considered it for a few moments, staring at the polaroids littering the wall beside his bed – he had amassed quite a collection, but the recent additions included Tamamo. The one she was staring at had been take by Obito when she was still in the hospital, after Tamamo had been born.

Tsunade and Minato were grinning in the background, and he looked like he was about to drop the baby Naruto had just handed him. Tamamo was staring at Obito with a mixed expression of curiosity and terror (presumably from the flash – he remembered that). He knew Naruto was staring at the eyes in that photo, wondering where they had come from.

Naruto mumble something inaudible to her self – it sounded like _'damn it'_ but he couldn't be sure – before standing up. She paused halfway across the floor, and turned back around, flopping back onto the bed face down.

"I'll go back later" she told him, peering out from the pillow with one eye.  
He grunted and turned back to the fusebox book.

Everything was still working.

* * *

**Yay to the meddling from Fugaku and Tsunade! It was seriously needed.**

**I don't mention the time changes very blatantly, but please keep them in mind. There will be a few time-skips in this, because if not, there would be no story. I forgot to mention the kanji for Ino and Shikamaru's son last time, so here it is: 山中 貉郎 (Yamanaka, Mujiro)**

**_The_ 'Muji' _comes from _'貉' _which means _'Badger'_, or _'Racoon Dog'_. The _'Ro'_ is read as_ '郎' _and means _'Son'.**


	7. Nineteen Years

**THE DICHOTOMY OF FAMILY AND GENETICS**

* * *

Naruto never though much about her own family – her background never seemed important to her; a moments carelessness meant she got one whether she wanted one or not. All of a sudden, she finds herself missing what she had never had, and what she had never missed, before. SasuNaru (FemNaru), slight GaaSaku, ShikaIno, KakaRin, JiraTsu, MinaKushi, & YahiKonan.

**

* * *

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CHAPTER VII  
~ NINETEEN YEARS ~

* * *

_Because of you I never stray_  
_too far from the sidewalk._  
_Because of you I learned to play on_  
_the safe side so I don't get hurt._  
_Because of you I find it hard to trust_  
_not only me but everyone around me._  
_Because of you... I am afraid._

* * *

Naruto glared at Sasuke as he began to unpack some of the kitchen utensils his mother had insisted on giving them; the glaring match lasted for a few seconds before Sasuke snapped.

"Not you too!"

Naruto grabbed the box from his hands and began to rearrange the objects he had already unpacked. After two more days of Toddler TV Terror (at Mikoto's insistence), Naruto had finally had enough. She had deliberately broached the topic of finding a flat of their own at the dinner table, and now barley a week later, they had one. Iruka had, with help form Fugaku, found them the place on the council's reduced housing list.

Gaara wouldn't have to worry about somewhere to stay if they got the sofa-bed figured out before he arrived, providing they got it unpacked. The furniture had been dug out of Sasuke's attic and cellar. It was a bit old, but was perfectly usable. The only things that the had actually bought were the couch, and a few general electrical things like extension plugs.

The tv had come from Sasuke room, and the two single beds from the house had been pushed together with a double mattres over the frames instead of singles. All of Tamamo's things had been moved into a room of her own (she had been sharing with Naruto previously). It wasn't a big flat – the kitchen was more of a few counters at one end of the main room that served as a living room, a bathroom, and two bedrooms – but the area was safe enough.

They didn't have a car, so that had made finding a place so quickly easier too. Naruto had a nagging suspicion about how easily Fugaku had found it though... Something about the smug little smirk on Mikoto's face was suspicious, but Naruto didn't want to brood on it – she had to get the kitchen sorted before Tamamo began demanding food, and Sasuke's presence in it was a disaster waiting to happen.

"The only difference between your food and Itachi's is that his doesn't _look_ like it will kill you; mine looks bad and isn't the best in the world, but at least it won't give people a stomach ache" she informed him pointedly.

"I can use a microwave just fine!"  
"Do we _have_ a microwave?"

That shut him up; the only one they could find in the cellar had exploded just before Tamamo had been conceived. That hardly passed safety standards.

"Go sort out the bedrooms; I'll do this and the living room. You aren't going to be using it, so get out of here before I _kick_ you out" she ordered, waving a mechanical whisk like a pointer.

Sasuke stared at it for a few moments, before disappearing, albeit grumbling to himself. Gaara arrived later that day, and with his help, everything was pretty much unpacked; there were still a few smaller boxes to deal with, containing clothes and such, but the majority of it all was finished in one day.

Tamamo, for her part, was very pleased to see Gaara, but was even more pleased with how still he was when he was sitting down – he seemed to move less than Itachi did, and that meant he was perfect for scribbling.

* * *

The next day, Tamamo was left with Sasuke, and the two older redheads made their way to Konoha Maximum-Security Detention Centre.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at Gaara as they took their seats in a familiar room – it wasn't the same one she had been in before, but it was so identical that it might as well have been. He was slowly beginning to turn into the block of wood Sakura had warned her about.

He sat rigidly in his chair, staring at the door where Sasori would emerge from; there was a clang from beyond it and he jerkily turned towards her; his expression was blank, but the way he stared was enough to tell her that his nerves were already getting the best of him.

"What if he tries to kill me? He's a doctor, or was, so he'll know where to hit won't he?"

This sounded _horribly_ familiar; hadn't Sakura reacted like thin when she first me the man?

"Gaara, that's what the _guard_ is for" she told him, giving his rigid shoulder a soothing pat.  
"But-"

Whatever Gaara was about to say next was never discovered; the door grated open and Sasori was escorted inside with another guard. His face was as blank as Gaara's, and he sat down without a word.

Naruto stared at the two of them as they stared at each other without a word; Gaara still looked like a human tree trunk. She poked his shoulder inquiringly, and he almost fell out of the chair – it was only his hand grabbing on the table leg that kept him from hitting the floor.

He glared at her and she stuck her tongue out in retaliation; the interaction drew a tiny, short, almost inaudible chuckle form Sasori, and Naruto grinned widely at him.

"I told you she had an Oedipus complex, didn't I?"

Gaara glared at her, before turning to Sasori and quietly introducing himself. There was a long pause before he got onto the main reason for his visit. Sasori was visibly surprised when Gaara told him that Sakura wanted to know when he would be up for parole.

"There's an annual hearing in October, but-"  
"Gaara that's _perfect!_ You guys are coming down for the parties and the holidays anyway, so Sakura can find a lawyer or something in time for it!" Naruto exclaimed, almost hopping up and down in her seat.

Gaara vigorous nod was the only indicator of his matched opinions on the matter. Sasori was staring at them wide eyed, seemingly shocked or confused by something.

"What does the hearing have to do with it?" he asked, frowning.

Naruto would have pounded the man's head on the table if she wasn't certain the guards would have been irritated by the action – was the man an idiot? Apparently so.

"Because she wants, and I quote, _'the aisle thing'_, and unless you get out of get out of this... err, building...? Unless you get out of _here,_ Sakura can't have _'the aisle thing'_. Sakura is a bit bull headed when she's determined enough, so I'd start thinking about packing up" she told him bluntly.

Gaara nodded. Sasori remained wide eyed.

"She wants me _there?_" he asked in astonishment.  
"Are you deaf? I just said that! What part of _'the aisle thing'_ don't you get?" Naruto asked irritably.  
"But-"

"No buts! If I have to listen to Sakura _whine_ about how she didn't get it because you feel guilty or some other _crap,_ I will castrate you! I'll be waiting with a set of _garden shears _when your sentence ends if I have to hear that! Sakura. Wants. _'The aisle thing'._ End of story!"

He stared at her, and Naruto sat back in her chair rather surprised at her out burst; Sakura would be miffed, but she'd still get married even if Sasori couldn't make it. Where had that come from?

Gaara had raised an eyebrow, but apparently her outburst had done the trick, because Sasori finally gave up his objections. He ruffled Gaara's hair before being led back to his cell, much to Gaara surprise – the action turned him back into a tree trunk.

* * *

"He ruffled my hair" Gaara murmured, still stunned, as they sat down on the bus that would lead them back to the flat.

Naruto snickered at him as she dug around in her rucksack for her music player.

"Guess it means he likes you" she told him, finally locating the battered machine, then moving on to find the headphones.

Gaara was quiet, contemplating the days events as she continued to ransack her bag. She had just managed to find the stupid headphones (only one of which actually worked) when his next intonation jerked them from her hand in shock.

"Sakura told me to make you call Kakashi"

Naruto spluttered, as she grabbed for the headphones again; how did Sakura know she hadn't called him yet? Was she psychic?Damn her, damn her and her new psychic powers!

"She thinks you'll be be too nervous to call him unless someone makes you do it; you might as well get it over with, because she'll know if I lie. You know what she'll do then."

Indeed that would be hell on earth. Stupid Sakura and her stupid brain. She really was too damn smart sometimes. She tried sending a pleading look to Gaara, but was not very surprised when it failed miserably. Grumbling to herself about meddlesome friends, she pulled out her mobile phone instead of her headphones.

It took a long time to find Kakashi's name – she really had to delete some of the numbers in her phone book. She didn't talk to half the people on it any more. By the time she finally located it, her hand was shaking. Gaara, lovable friend that he was, glared at her.

She squeaked in fright and hurriedly pressed the call button.

* * *

Naruto sat nervously on the sofa, watching Kakashi's daughter as she helped Tamamo scribble on a piece of paper. Rin was working, and the usual sitter was busy, so he had brought her along. Momo had brown hair like Rin, but the spiky quality of it, and just about everything else was Kakashi.

Naruto felt very anxious as she perched like a statue on the edge of the sofa, trying to keep her eyes focuses on the two girls in front of her; she didn't really know what this would entail. Iruka had never involved her in the process directly when he had searched.

"It's a fairly simple process – I've led quite a few, and most of the time I've found _something, _even if it isn't much. Just make sure to give me as many details about what you do know as you can. I can work around a lack of information, but if you forget to mention something, then you're just making things harder" he told her.

She nodded, and there was the creak of the door opening as Sasuke returned from his parent's house and began kicking off his shoes.

"There are a few things that I was left with... I still have them. Would those be any use?" she asked, raising her head to look over the sofa; Sasuke gave a two fingered salute in greeting to the two of them.

"Please – you'd be amazed how useful the smallest thing could be."

Naruto nodded and got up from the sofa, careful to avoid stepping on any stray crayons – god forbid she should step on a crayon. She dug around in the bottom of a cupboard in the bedroom, pushing aside the box containing her belts, and the heels Sakura had bought her that she still couldn't walk in.

Finally, at the back of the cupboard on top of her old textbooks, she found it; Iruka had even kept the stupid box she'd arrived in. after digging it out, she dropped it on the bed. She turned to dig around in a plastic tub on her beside cabinet, and finally dug out the crystal necklace she usually wore before tossing it in the cardboard box.

She didn't have enough jewellery for an actual jewellery box – it was mostly cheap stuff, and she lost most of it. The only items of any value were her earrings, a few bits and pieces for Sasuke and Sakura, and the crystal she had been found with. So she kept it all in a plastic tub beside her saxophone polish.

She picked up the box, and paused again before picking up the toy fox that sat on the windowsill. It had made a yelping fox noise once, but the voice had died when she had spilled a can of fizzy pop on it, and it was a bit dog eared and faded. It was really the only thing in the box, bar the necklace, that she actually liked. Even if she did use it for taking her frustrations out on for the most part.

She dropped it into the crumpled box and went back into the living room. She had to laugh at the sight that greeted her. Sasuke was being attacked by the two little monsters; they were moving his arms all over the place for drawing purposes, and Kakashi was mumbling about Tamamo being a bad influence on Momo.

She sat down beside him and handed the objects to Kakashi to look at one at a time. He carefully examined the fox, necklace, blanket, baby clothes, and finally the scrap of paper with her name on. Then the box itself. Kakashi examined the items one by one, his eyes seemingly noticing things she never had. His eyes widened as he gave the necklace a closer examination.

"Naruto do you have any idea how valuable this necklace is?" he asked.  
"No – I thought was a common old garden crystal... I take it it's not?"

He shook his head frantically, examining the chain rather closely; she half expected him to pull out a monocle or a magnifying glass.

"This is one of the Senju Diamonds – they're very rare! There are only a few in existence... the vein they were mined from was destroyed in the first inter-continental war..."

He examined the linking section on the chain, searching for something.

"There it is... They all have a registration number, and they're usually herilooms for the most part change hands. The information attached to it usually changes when it gets handed on, but the old records are still viewable. If I take this to any jewellers worth their salt... Naruto, whoever left you on that doorstep probably had a good reason for it"

He gestured to all the objects.

"I recognise some of the names here, like on that fox, and they aren't cheap ones. That fox probably cost about ¥19,000 – it's handmade down to the last thread. I know because I bought a dog from the same brand when Momo was born. That's not the sort of money you spend on a baby you're about to abandon, not without a very good reason..."

Naruto was, for lack of a better word, completely and utterly floored by this; she had never noticed anything special about the things she had been left with. The fox was cute, and the necklace was just that. A necklace, not a _'Sebglu Sapphire'_ or anything special.

"How old were you when you were left at the orphanage?" Sasuke asked suddenly.  
"About... about a month old, maybe a little older..."

Her head was whirling – she'd never thought anything of it. That month had been the time her parents had decided they didn't want her after all, but... was it the other was around? That didn't make any sense either.

"We're already getting headway here; I can phone the companies who made all this, cross reference and see if any names pop up. I can even use the box – this isn't a mass shipping box. I can find out which company used it and where they dilivered to around that time, and check them..."

Kakashi seemed to be drooling at the thought of being nosey and annoying buisness companies with her abandonment issues; she decided to take it as a compliment.

He stared at the piece of paper in thought.

"I can run this handwriting through the police system... see if anything crops up... Oh, I'm just trying to cover all the bases – in all likelihood, nothing will sow up"

Naruto nodded, not in the least bit offended; she wanted to find but who had dumped her on a doorstep and why. Even more so now that Kakashi had told her all this. Kakashi flipped the piece of paper over and frowned.

"This was written on a hotel bill... Did Iruka check to see if anyone there remembered anything?"

Naruto shook her head.

"He tried, but it was closed down before he started looking. It was near the old Sarutobi Memorial Hospital – the one they knocked down for that buisness park – so he tried looking for something in the records office, but he didn't find anything."

Kakashi nodded.

"Not surprising – any patient files would have been moved to St. Tobirama's, or Konoha General after it was knocked down."

He jumped up, packing the things into the box, and picking up his jacket.

"Can I take these with me? I'll get them back as soon as I can, but I really want to get started on this..."

"Go ahead" she replied, still a little dazed – Kakashi hadn't even started yet, and he had already noticed more than she ever had in the years since she had started searched, and given her a completely different view of things in the process.

Iruka might have noticed, but he had never mentioned it. She supposed that was because he had never found anything. She heard Kakashi run out of the door, and the though it was not slammed, it jerked her out of her daze to notice he had forgotten something in his haste.

She counted three seconds before the door burst open again. Kakashi snatched up his daughter, pulled her arms through the sleeves of her jacket, sent a gaze that clearly begged them not to tell his wife, before darting out again.

Tamamo began looking around, startled by the sudden disappearance of her playmate.

"I think he's more excited about this than you are" Sasuke noted noted.  
"I think you might be right..."Naruto replied absently, picking up her rather confused daughter.

Kakashi had, with some input from herself and Sasuke, placed a new view of her parents upon her, replacing the almost vehement hatred and anger that had been there since Iruka had told her she had been abandoned.

It wasn't by any means gone – she had still be abandoned, whether Kakashi's statements had any relevance or not. That fact wasn't going to change, and she would always resent them for it but...

But the mere _idea_ that they had wanted her, if only for a short while, was too appealing to completely ignore.

* * *

Naruto's nineteenth birthday was the same as all her other birthdays.

The party that Sakura and Ino had somehow found time in their hectic schedules to plan was loud. Sakura had manage to drag people out from the woodwork that she hadn't seen in years – Lee and Tenten had come back from college again for the holidays. She hadn't seen them since the unexpected baby-shower almost two years ago now.

It was good to see all her old friends from school – most of them had disappeared for college like Sakura – but she couldn't bring herself to fully enjoy it, even watching Tamamo.

The girl was in her element, fussed over by the girls and being horribly spoiled by the boys – Naruto had seen Kiba sneak her two extra slices of cake already – and Tamamo positively glowed with happiness, milling about underfoot with Mujiro and Momo.

But even watching her daughter enjoy herself, the same feeling swallowed the back of Naruto's mind. Today was not her birthday; it was probably in the middle of September, or even the end of August, but it was not October. She had done a lot of thinking after the first meeting with Kakashi, and she had done a lot of examining of the objects in her _'box of issues',_ as Sasuke liked to call it.

She had been loathe to even look at it unless she was feeling particularly, angry, irritable, or just plain old miserable before. Now that she actually looked at the objects... she was irritated that she hadn't noticed before. The blanket for example – it was plain, but it was thick, and fluffy – it was warm.

Someone had cared enough to make sure she didn't freeze to death in the early hours of October 10th. They had spent a fair bit of cash on that fox, and had left a heck of a trinket behind too. Those were not the actions of someone who could care less if she dropped dead in the street.

Those were the actions of someone who actually cared, someone who _wanted_ her to make it through the night without catching more than a cold. But it was marred by the fact that she had still been left on the doorstep. Her parents obviously hadn't cared enough to keep her.

With that sort of knowledge, it was not all that strange to be a little more grumpy today than she normally was. Sasuke didn't ask why she was unusually terse this year, nor did she have to explain it to him, but Sakura was a different matter.

Once the party was over, and Tamamo was safely asleep, she hunted her down.

Sasuke had already fallen asleep, and Naruto had seated herself in the dry bathtub as per the norm with a lingering bottle of sour, apple-tasting alcoholic stuff that had been on offer for those who had been old enough to tie their shoes.

This was the one thing she hadn't shared with Sakura - not deliberately, but considering how Sakura reacted to some things, she hadn't been exactly eager to share it either. Tayuya knew though, Sasuke and Gaara too, but they didn't share information like gossips.

Sakura hadn't noticed since she usually went back to bed about 3am, and considering it was only one night a year, she didn't really have much opportunity to catch her in the act.

It was the one night she would allow herself to border on drunkenness – she had never actually managed to get drunk, despite a few attempts, including the trip to see ANBU in Rock country, but she seemed to have an absolutely iron stomach and impregnable tolerance of it.

She had been doing this since she was old enough to be depressed about it, and had found out where Izumo (the chef at the orphanage) had kept the key to the liquor cabinet. She hadn't drunk anything when she was pregnant though.

Indeed, she had been so awed by the sudden realisation she wanted to keep Tamamo, she had almost forgotten this annual ritual. She did remember though, and had substituted the drink for enough ice-cream to give her a two-day-long brain freeze.

She had been happily dozing off to the sounds of her music player when the light in the bathroom was rudely turned on. She pulled an arm in front of her eyes, grabbing for the shower curtain that ran along the side and pulling across sharply.

"Go away Sasuke... Go pee in the sink or something!" she muttered irritably; Sasuke knew better than to use the bathroom in the early hours of October 11th.

There was a muffled squawk, and the sounds of someone falling over, before the sound of the curtain being sharply drawn back. Sakura stared at her red haired friend in complete surprise, then in mild horror.

"Naruto... why are you in the bath at 2am?"

Naruto looked up at her, adjusting her eyes to the sudden brightness, and held up the bottle.

"Drinking... Care to join me? It's a good night for it... Nice and warm in here" she replied, dangling the green bottle temptingly.

Sakura stared at her in horror, staring at the absolute seriousness on her friend's face, then the bottle; Sakura made a strangled noise and lunged for the bottle, intent on pouring it's contents down the toilet.

Recognizing the dangerous look immediately, Naruto snatched it back out of reach, away from the danger of Sakura's outstretched talons.

"You could have just said no..." she grumbled, taking a swig from the bottle.

Sakura remained horrified.

"Naruto, stop that! Why...? What..?." Sakura stumbled over the question.

Naruto sighed in defeat, knowing her night of uninterrupted private depression was over, and tapped the other end off the bath with one hand. It seemed some explaining was in order.

By the end of the explanation, Sakura – now seated in the bath with her knees drawn up - was running her fingers through her hands and eyeing the dwindling bottle.

"So... Every year, you dig out some drink, and camp out the bathroom with your MP3 player?"  
"Pretty much... Sure you don't want some?" Naruto replied, handing out the bottle again.

Sakura snatched it up and took a long gulp; she instantly made a face and began to cough and swear as the sour liquid washed down her throat. She stared at Naruto in horror. Again

"What the heck is this? Have you been drinking this all night?"  
"Dunno – Kiba brought it, but yeah pretty much" Naruto explained as if explained everything – which, since it was Kiba, it did.

"Why didn't you just say you hated the parties?" Sakura demanded, eyeing the bottle again.  
"I don't! I just hate the _day_ – it's not really my birthday is it? It like... a fill-in or something..."

Naruto caught the look on Sakura's face as she eyed the bottle, sighed in resignation, and handed it over.

"And you do this every year?" Sakura asked after a quick, short glug.  
Naruto nodded; tossing a rubber duck of Tamamo's back and forth in her hands absently.

"Wow. You are so damaged – why are you so damaged? I know you were in the orphanage longer, but Gaara was only a kid when he came, and I wasn't that old either, and it never bothered us as much as it gets to you... " the pink-haired girl asked, handing the bottle back.

"Gaara had Temari and Kankuro, and you had Tayuya... You didn't start out there, and you both had families _first. _Granted Gaara's parents were complete psychos, your dad is locked up for euthanasia, and your mother had more diseases than a hospital waiting room but... You had _something_ to build on, even if it wasn't for long."

She looked up to make sure Sakura was still listening – she nodded, taking another glug.

"You don't have that when you're in there from the beginning. Sure, some kids are lucky and social services can get some information on their families, but that's kind of hard when the only thing my parents gave me was my name. I don't know if I was born in August, September or October, or if I'm even from Fire Country. My parents could come from Rock Country...

"I had to build everything myself. Yes, I had help from Iruka and you and Sasuke and his parents but... It's just not the same... For all I know my dad could be a clown! A freaking _clown_!"

Naruto shivered in revulsion at the thought; she _loathed_ clowns.

Sakura seemed to consider the thought for a long time; Naruto knew it wouldn't make sense to her, it was half the reason she hadn't draw attention to her annual alcohol binge in the first place. Sasuke didn't get it very well, but Naruto wouldn't really expect him to – he had always had a family, so he just couldn't relate.

Sakura would probably do better, but not by very much. As she had told her, joining later was different from growing up in an orphanage. Sakura, Gaara, Sasuke, they all knew where they came from. They had files and documents saying so – her birth certificate wasn't a birth certificate. It was a day-found-on-the-doorstep certificate.

Sakura decided not to say anything, instead handing the half empt bottle back – Naruto took a long drink.

"You know what really makes me mad?"  
Sakura shook her head.

"If Kakashi's right, and they really _did _care like he thinks, then it's even worse, because they still dumped me in a freaking _ramen box!_ It makes me sick to the stomach to think I almost did the same thing to Tamamo! What kind of person do you have to be to dump a baby you've taken to time to look after? How do you do that?"

Sakura stared at her for another long moment as she swallowed the remaining half-bottle of sour liquid.

"Did Iruka ever try to send you to therapy?" she asked curiously.

Naruto grimaced; that idiot had not been worth the money Iruka had paid when he realised she had issues (her school had written a letter about an essay on family that had alarmed them a little bit). They had immediately gotten off on the wrong foot, so she had replaced the coffee in his office coffee jar with dirt one afternoon. Things had gone rapidly downhill.

"He tried for about a month – it didn't really work though, so he gave up."  
"I see that."

* * *

Sasuke walked into the bathroom on the 11th of October and was greeted with one of the oddest scenes he had seen; Naruto and Sakura snoring over the edge of the bath with a empty bottle that had once contained alcohol usually consumed in shot glasses.

He had slowly backed out, very, very slowly – Gaara had woken Sakura up after drinking once, and the bruises had taken two weeks to heal. Naruto never managed to drink herself stupid no matter how much she consumed, but he wasn't about to wake her either – he had his own bruises from such attempts.

By the time they had both returned to more human temperaments, Tamamo was waking up, and Gaara was beginning to recognise that his irritation came from hunger. He was beginning to root around in cupboards like a foraging animal in winter. That lasted for several minuets before Naruto realised what he was doing and chased him out with an electric whisk – _no-one_ went in the kitchen.

Apparently the whisk had been used to beat eggs, because despite the dodgy look of the food, omelettes were being shoved under their noses, and by the time Sasuke and Gaara actually managed to get their hands on some (Naruto and Sakura kept stealing them from their plates), Kakashi came bursting through the door in a manner that was far too excitable for a morning.

"I've finally got some replies from those companies, and I've dug some information up from the old Sarutobi Memorial patient register." he informed them around a mouth-full of omelette that had been originally heading towards Gaara.

"Really?" Naruto asked, looking up from the pan of dodgy-looking eggs and cheese.  
Kakashi nodded.

"I took that necklace to one of those designer shops in the Sannin district – you know the street I mean, the posh-people one - anyway, that was a dead end." Kakashi stated, finishing his omelette.

"Whoever gave you that changed the previous details first – they completely erased the previous ownership records on request, then made you the official owner"

Naruto frowned at the news – that had been one of the best links they had found. Knowing it was a dead end was hardly motivating, but she kept quiet – Kakashi wasn't finished.

"I've talked to Iruka too, and he admitted that someone had set up a bank account for you – fairly decent sized thing with instructions for any healthcare costs to be taken from that and that you were sent to Konoha General for them. That's pretty much gone now, but I tired chasing the account details. There wasn't anything there, but I think it says a lot."

It did say a lot. It said that her parents had been concerned about her welfare – it said it in a _big_ way. Iruka had never mentioned this to her at all, but if he had, would it really have changed anything? She would have still been an orphan as far as the requirements went.

"I gave up there for the moment, and concentrated on finding the old records from Sarutobi Memorial... That was a little more productive – I managed to dig out a patient roster; under the assumption that your parents gave you their last name, there were three women with the name Uzumaki who gave birth around the time you were born."

"Only three?" Sasuke asked, pulling one of Tamamo's feet into a sock.

"Sarutobi's wasn't very big - anyway, I looked up two of them, but they didn't result in anything and the third one seemed to disappear off the face off the earth. Completely dead trail."

"That doesn't really inspire hope Kakashi" Sakura complained around a mouthful of eggy mush.

Kakashi took a gulp of water.

"I was just getting to that" he informed them pushing back his empty plate. Without a word, Gaara picked it up and took it to the sink, glaring Naruto away from it before she could start to object – she let it pass since it would save washing up later, and he had better sense than to touch anything else.

Naruto sat back down on the sofa where the meal had been taking place – there wasn't a table yet – and Tamamo immediately clambered onto her lap, half dressed. Sasuke glared at her, still holding a sock and a pair of miniature jeans. The little girl was an absolute speed demon.

"I began looking for the owners of the hotel the bill with your name on came from, and they don't live too far from here. I rang them up on the way here, and they said you could stop by any time to talk to them – if you don't want to I can go for you, but-"

"I'll go" she replied quickly, holding onto Tamamo as Sasuke tried to get her other sock on – it was difficult since she kept pulling off the other one once he was finished. Tamamo hated matching socks for some reason.

She wanted to get the answers herself; it wasn't that she didn't trust Kakashi or anything, but she needed to hear something from someone. She would never get the answers she needed, the certainty that she needed, if it come a second-hand source. She had to have that.

If she was constantly trying to discern what had been going through the minds of her parents when they had left her, it would follow her for the rest of her life, and it wasn't something she wanted be followed by.

* * *

Naruto climbed out of Kakashi's car, staring at the house in front of her – the people inside had owned the hotel her supposed mother had stayed at or almost a month, if the price on the bill had been anything to go by.

It was a typical traditional-modern merging that seemed to be flooding Konoha at the moment, on one storey. They must have done well for themselves from that hotel – it was in a nice area of town.

She had her doubts they would remember anything – it had been almost eighteen years ago – but Kakashi was adamant that it was worth a try. She had brought the bill and the necklace and the fox toy with her in the hopes they might jog some memories. She felt sick now, taking the steps towards the door with Kakashi.

He knocked on the door when she momentarily forget how to use her hands; there was a patter of feet behind the door, then it was opened by a woman with grey hair, strands formed into a bun and held in place with two decorative sticks. Naruto had never gotten the hang of those things.

"May I help you?" she asked.  
"Hello, we spoke on the phone this morning. My name is Kakashi Hatake?"

The woman's eyes widened in familiarity.  
"Oh, now I remember! You must be Mr Hatake's employer I presume?" she asked holding a hand in greeting out towards Naruto.

Naruto felt her throat dry up – all she could do was nod.

The woman held the door open, introducing herself as Koharu to Naruto as she stepped inside the neat, well kept house. They were taken into a sitting room, and then the woman approached the business for the visit.

"You said you wanted to ask some questions?" she started, talking to Kakashi.

Kakashi began explaining the situation, and all the leads he had encountered so far that had led him to her old hotel. By the time he had finished, Naruto had finally found her voice.

"That's all we really know right now, so we – I was hoping you'd be able to shed some light on this woman, whoever she is. I know that isn't really very helpful, so I have a few things with me that you might remember..." Naruto added, once Kakashi had finished speaking.

She was digging through her rucksack for the fox and the bill - she had already take off the necklace. The woman was a little surprised, but she nodded all the same, and took hold of the toy Naruto handed to her with a certain degree of care. She turned the fox over in her hands, examining it. They stopped when they came to one of the front paws, staring at a black patch that had never come out in the wash.

"I ordered this. I looked after you quite a bit, Homura too. Woman kept disappearing out for work, and we offered a babysitting service. I remember holding the catalogue out so you could pick yourself. Didn't even look at anything else in the thing. Homura spilled a bottle of ink all over the foot after I opened the box to make sure it matched the one in the catalogue. The woman asked me to place the order while she was out – blonde I think. Fancy and well-to-do sort if that gem of hers was anything to go by." she stated, quite calmly.

Naruto was stunned – she remembered that much? It had been so long ago though! She was equally stunned that the woman had been something of a carer before she had been left in Iruka's care.

"I don't suppose you'd know anything about her at all? Anything would be helpful, even if it seems insignificant..." Kakashi egged.

The woman frowned in concentration.

"I remember that one all right – fancy woman like that showing up in our cheap little hotel? She came in all of a fluster one night with a baby, you. Looked like the biggest bomb she had ever seen had been dropped, but not like she'd had a baby recently. Still, she came in all a fluster and booked a room for a month or so. She had me order that there fox one night, and once it had arrived, she walked out out with... Well, you and the toy. Came back a few hours later and checked out by herself."

Naruto said nothing – the information was staggering, and kept her tongue from making any kind of sound – but Kakashi seemed full of questions.

"I don't suppose you noticed anything else that could help us find her? Where she came form, or her job?" he asked.

Kakashi sounded far more excited than he had in months. Naruto wished she could share his excitement, but how did you get excited over information like that? That was solid evidence that someone – her mother presumably - had abandoned her. It wasn't the kind of information to get excited about – actually hearing from someone's mouth stung.

"Can't say where she came from – very tight lipped on that sort of thing she was, but she seemed the posh type. Blonde, looked like she was from one of those well-bred families. As for her job, I think she worked in a hospital. Always had a nurses outfit on when she came back for the night at any rate."

Kakashi asked several more questions, and then the meeting was over. As the woman escorted her them to the door, after a promise to contact Kakashi if she remembered anything else, she scared the fire out of Naruto by giving her a surprisingly strong hug.

"I don't know why she left you, but if the look on her face when she came back that night was anything to go by, then you can be certain she didn't _want _to leave you. Looked like she'd given up the earth she did" she whispered, before releasing the redhead.

Naruto smiled, not really knowing how to reply before following Kakashi back to the car.

* * *

21 days later Naruto could be found staring out of window in a kiddies play den; it was the sort of thing with ball-pools and slides that Iruka had taken them al to for birthday parties when she was a kid. Today was Tamamo's second birthday, and the girl was giving the employees of the place several headaches.

There was an under three section, and Tamamo persisted in invading the over three section; most parents would have been worried, but even Fugaku had chortled at the grumpy expressions of the staff as they tried to persuade her to come out of the giant ball pool.

It had taken some saving and a lot of overtime at Killer Bee's, but they had saved enough to pay for the extortionate fees; Ino and Shikamaru had brought along their lazy boy, and Kakashi had dropped off Momo before darting out again. Gaara was there too, but Sakura was busy talking with a lawyer about her fathers upcoming parole on her mobile.

Sasuke's parents and brothers were there too – it was almost surreal seeing so many similar people in one place. There was no doubting that Sasuke was related to them. Tamamo too – she had her hair colour, and presumably the eyes of either her mother or father, but her face her nose and the shape of her eyes... If her hair was black she would have been a miniature Sasuke.

It was making her wonder which of her parents she looked like – that Koharu lady had said the woman who had been looking after her was blonde, so was it her father she looked after? Did he have red hair? She didn't really know what to think of them any more. There was so much that screamed that they had cared about her, that she had been wanted, but there was a nasty argument to that that encompassed her whole life.

How could they just abandon her like that? If they had been able to set up a fund for healthcare and had their hands on that necklace Kakashi had been so excited about, then money certainly couldn't have been a problem could it? If there were extenuating circumstances, then what were they?

If one of her parents had died, then maybe she could have understood, but she didn't know about her father, and her mother had obviously been around enough to look after her for a month or so. Besides, it wouldn't be that good of an excuse for dumping her on a doorstep in the middle of October.

"Mama! Play balls, play balls!"

The voice and the tug on her skirt hem jerked her attention to her red-headed daughter; her eyes were sparkling with the sheer glee of annoying the staff and the fun she was having. Naruto grinned and let her pull her towards the ball pool, holding her hand out to the smaller one.

As Tamamo pulled her along, she wondered not for the first time how she could have considered doing the same thing to her own daughter as had been done to her; she remembered justifying it, making sure that there was contact information left behind for her daughter if she wanted it in later years, but it was still the same thing.

Only Ino, a sudden gust of wind, had kept the apple from falling on the family tree roots. Sasuke was watching her with an odd expression, but she ignored him. If she dwelt on this for the whole party it would spoil it, and she hadn't worked five extra overtime shifts to do that.

Later, after the festivities had ended and she was perched on the edge of the bed staring t the toy fox, Sasuke broached the subject.

"You were kind of out of it at the party..." he started.  
"It just odd when everyone looks so similar..."

He stared at he for a moment, then the sat up in the bed and leant over to stare at the bedraggled toy, chin leaning on her shoulder. He toyed with one floppy worn fabric ear as another arm circled her waist.

"That's not what's bothering you this time – its not the first time everyone has grouped up like that" he informed her pointedly.

Naruto wished Iruka was here – in spite of everything, he still wasn't sold on Sasuke. That brief rough patch after Tamamo was born hadn't helped his opinion at all, and she knew he placed the blame on Sasuke even if he never said it. He always said Sasuke wasn't observant enough, but if he wasn't, then how would he have picked up on the rot of her unease?

"...I don't know what I'm supposed to think of them Sasuke; they put so much effort into making sure I was looked after, but they couldn't be bothered to do it themselves, and then I think about Tamamo, and that I nearly did the exact same thing... I've never met them, but I'm so similar to that woman it's... scary."

"Not that similar – she's blonde, you're not. She dumped you, but Tamamo's still here. You aren't that similar." he replied.

He was right of course. It didn't make it any easier to process though. Maybe there had been extenuating circumstances that had forced her mother to give her up, but she had been in extenuating circumstances too hadn't she? She had barley turned sixteen, and she had still been in halfway housing, and then her school had kicked her out, but in the end, she hadn't dumped Tamamo.

Her mother had been older, and Kakashi and that Koharu woman didn't think she was short of money. She must have had a stable job, so she obviously lived somewhere of her own accord, but having all that still resulted in dumping her in Iruka's care? How the hell did that work? How in the hell was that right?

"You can hate them you know; just because they did care, it hasn't changed much has it? You're perfectly entitled to still hate their guts if you want to."

See Iruka? Sasuke was so observant she didn't even need to speak sometimes.

* * *

Sitting between Sakura and Tayuya was very awkward. Words had not been exchanged over the subject of their father since Sakura had stormed home a month before Tamamo was born. As they sat in the benches of the courtroom with the lawyer (a wide eyed creep called Yamato), it wasn't hard to miss the tension hanging over their heads.

"Court will take a break as the jury convene over the parole of Mr Akasuna. All rise"

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and quickly hurried out to the hall, desperate to get away from the tension hanging in the air. She really didn't understand why Tayuya was so mad at their father. Call her biased or hypocritical or whatever, but she really didn't see what the man had done to deserve her hatred.

It wasn't his fault their mother had died, and as far as she was concerned if their Gran had wanted him to give her a lethal overdose, he wasn't exactly a murderer (there were even people who had heard her asking him to do it). She glanced around the hallway, and quickly spotted Sasuke talking with an orange haired man.

Tamamo's hand was fixed in his own, and she was staring at the bright-haired man with more piercings than could be counted with absolute fascination. Sasuke caught sight of her and picked up Tamamo, pointing her out to the tiny red head. The reaction was immediate – there was a loud yell of 'Mama' and she began holding her arms out.

The irritation on Sasuke's face was priceless as she approached, taking the girl from his arms and blowing a raspberry on her ear.

"She _never_ does that for me..." He muttered, earning a snicker from the orange head.  
"That's because you frown too much – who's orangey?" she asked, glancing at the stranger curiously.

Sasuke paled a little, seeming to grow nervous.  
"That's my supervisor Naruto!" he hissed, sending the man an alarmed sidelong look.

It seemed Sasuke's worry was unnecessary though; the man let out a huge laugh, before ruffling Sasuke's hair (much to her boyfriend's irritation). He turned to face her and held his hand out with a greeting grin on his face. She got the odd feeling she had seen him somewhere before.

He gave her an odd look, a considering one she had seen on Tsunade's face several times in the past, but then he grinned again and took her hand in a firm grip.

"I'm Yahiko – I like her Sasuke, she has a sense of humour..." he grinned, turning towards his young charge in the world of electrician-ing. Sasuke was ignoring him.

"Is he like this all the time? I've been trying to break that stubborn glare of his for months but I'm not succeeding..."  
"It's a default setting" she replied; Tamamo clamped her arms around her neck after talking a long hard look at the man's piercings.

It seemed she was not as fascinated by them close up – she even went so far as to bury her face in Naruto's hair – she tended to leave it free-flowing with a clip for her fringe now, though she still used her bunches as well. Sasuke seemed to like it, and it made her look a little more grown-up.

"Have I met you before?" she asked curiously.

Yahiko shook his head, but he still had a grin on his face.

"No, you've probably met my little brother though – he works at General. We look similar despite the hair dye, so people confuse us more than you'd think."

Now that surprised Naruto, but she was more shocked by the gaping jaw on Sasuke's face; hadn't he bothered to ask? Judging by his expression, he had been curious as well, but really, he had been working with the man for months now! Surely it had occurred to him to ask?

"You're Minato's brother?" he asked in disbelief.

The man looked like he was about to explode in laughter, but before she could question him further, or even ask why he was there (Sasuke had a day off to keep an eye on Tamamo – she wasn't quite old enough to go inside a parole courtroom just yet), there was a call for those attending Sasori's hearing to re-enter the courtroom.

After unlatching her limpet-like daughter, and depositing her back into her fathers arms, she hurried back inside with Sakura and Tayuya.

* * *

"I can't believe he actually got the parole" Sasuke murmured, shifting his sleeping daughter on his lap as they watched Sakura and Tayuya celebrating with Gaara at the other end of the table.

Gaara had booked a huge table at Gai's the minuet the verdict had come through to celebrate Sasori's release from jail. Naruto had already surprised them with her own news; she had talked it over through the phone with killer bee, and he had no qualms with giving the man a job at the Konoha branch of his growing _'music empire''_. Killer Bee was a very relaxed employer.

"Well they had a strong case originally – there were plenty of witnesses when their Gran asked him to do it, and that worked in his favour. The laws on euthanasia were stricter when he was sentenced though..." Naruto replied, slurping a bowl of ramen.

Her eyes were mostly on Tayuya; the moment the verdict had been released, she had turned around and flung herself at her father before the restraints could be taken off his wrists, bawling as badly as her crybaby sister (Sakura had a hard punch, but there was no denying that she could be quick to cry).

Naruto didn't know what had been going through her friend's mind, but she was certain that in had something to do with false hope and let downs. It was good thing she had sorted it out herself, because Naruto had been sorely tempted to box her ears today. Watching the family reunion was still as odd as seeing Sasuke's family all clustered together though.

It did distract her from her mother though – she was beginning to wonder about her father. Kakashi hadn't managed to find any original links to him from her box of issues, but he was trying to dig anything up on her mother's past relationships. He hadn't found anything of a Kushina Uzumaki being an employee of the old Sarutobi hospital, but he was chasing the patients he had found in the maternity ward again.

The lack of information on her father was almost a cause for hope – he might be more traceable if he was still alive. And if not, there was always a chance that she might find someone related to her on her mothers side in the process.

Tamamo gave a short cough in her sleep before nuzzling into Sasuke's shoulder again; for all his complaints, she always preferred using his shoulder as a pillow when she got the chance. Naruto couldn't blame her – they were comfy shoulders. Sasuke frowned at the noise and put a hand to her forehead.

"She's been coughing all day..." he murmured, drawing Naruto's attention away from the party.  
"All day?"  
"She was coughing yesterday too remember?"

Naruto frowned and placed a hand on the girls forehead, pushing Sasuke's hand aside; she didn't feel too warm, but after the last time she had been sick, she wasn't taking any chances. Sure, it had been two years ago but still... She began digging around in her bag for Tamamo's jumper – Gai had the heating turned up on full blast since it was November now, but it couldn't hurt.

"I'll call Minato tomorrow – he gave me his number" she replied, carefully treading the girls arms through the sleeves with some help from Sasuke.

* * *

"The name of squirts disease is... a cold. I'll give her a few inoculations, but there's nothing to worry about this time"

Sasuke let out an expulsion of bated breath; Naruto didn't seem as relived as he was openly, but she had given Tamamo another check with a baby thermometer that morning, and her worry seemed to have dimmed since.

"That's it?" he asked as Minato handed Tamamo back to him.

The doctor turned to a drawer on one of the medical cabinets and puling out a couple of needles, before heading for a cupboard. He withdrew a small container of something looking antibiotic-like.

"Yep. Just a cold – I can't blame you for worrying though. Hold her arm for me?"

Naruto obliged, taking hold of her Tamamo's arm and holding it out for him as he fiddled with the needles; it was a good thing the girl was still half asleep, or she would have been fussing a lot. Needles were one of the few things that could turn the girl into a screaming monster.

"Isn't that man who was released from the prison the day before yesterday a friend of yours? I saw the paper this morning" Minato asked taking hold of Tamamo's arm himself and carefully puncturing her skin with the needle, injecting it's contents into her bloodstream.

"Sasori? Yeah kinda, two of the girls from the home are his kids, and we know them pretty well. I went to to the hearing yesterday. Do you know him too?" Naruto asked, eyeing her twitching daughter warily - if she woke up now then it would take at least fifteen minuets to calm her down.

"I know _of_ him; he was sentenced about two years or so after I started my medical training – he was pretty famous in medical circles, a good plastic surgeon. Prosthetic limbs and stuff – he was even in one of my old textbooks... What about you? You tried looking your parents up at all?"

It was like being at a hairdressers; most people probably didn't have such a casual conversation with their child's doctor, but even when she had been recovering from giving birth, Naruto had found the head of of Konoha General's paediatrics easy to talk to. When Tamamo had come down with pneumonia, they had actually become what she would call good friends.

He already knew of Iruka's previous attempts to find her parents, and had even gone so far as give her a mini lecture when Sasuke and Fugaku had disappeared in search of coffee after the intervention. She had no qualms with being frank with the man, and Sasuke actually liked him – he had him on a plinth, a little higher than his boss and just below Itachi.

"Yeah, we didn't find anything on my mother really, just where she stayed and and a few other bits. All the records came from Sarutobi Memorial so most of them are dead leads now. Kakashi's looking for her, but he's focusing on my dad now. I haven't heard anything from him in a while, so with any luck it means he's dug something up..."

Minato pulled a fresh needle from the drawer and stared the second injection, an odd frown on his face.

"I wouldn't rely on Kakashi too much. He sounds like he knows what he's doing, but PI's do have their limits. I've used one before, and their investigative abilities only go so far. I know that sounds mean, but its probably better in the long run not to get your hopes set on him too much."

Naruto already knew that – she didn't asked why he had needed the aid of a PI though. It seemed like a sensitive subject for him, so she had avoided it. She wasn't offended at all by the advice – it was perfectly sound, and Kakashi had already explained much the same thing (not without a little boasting though).

"Minato, there's a boy just come in with... Naruto? Is that you?"

Naruto looked over her shoulder to be greeted with the blonde woman that had been her obstetrician and midwife, as well as responsible for an intervention on Fugaku's request; her face broke into a grin.

"Hey old bat!" she grinned as Minato finished the last of the injections, just as Tamamo shifted awake in Sasuke's arms, looking a little surprised at her clinical surroundings.

"I've told you a thousand times not to call me that! what are you doing back here? I though I'd seen the last of you!" she grinned in reply.

"Tamamo has a cold – I just finished giving her a couple of jabs."  
"Jabs? Minato, at least try to sound professional..." Tsunade instructed her son with a roll of her eyes.

"Naruto, we need to go – doesn't your shift start in a couple of hours? You said Sasori was starting today..." Sasuke reminded.

Oh bugger – she had completely forgotten about that. Thank god Sasuke had a decent memory.

"Argh... I forgot about that... Okay, is everything done here? Its going to take forever to fill out the paperwork before we leave!" Naruto asked, turning back to Minato.

"Yep, all done, wait a moment though. I have to give you a couple of forms to fill out..."

Minato rummaged around in another drawer and scribbled his signature on a couple of forms before handing them to her; Sasuke was already standing by Tsunade at the door.

"Thanks for seeing us this early, it was good to see you again too. Nice to see you too old bat!" Naruto grinned before picking up her coat and following Sasuke out of the door.

She was almost positive that she heard Tsunade yelling a protest as they walked down the hallway.

* * *

A few weeks passed, and it soon became December; there hadn't been much snow the year before, but there was that year, and Tamamo seemed to find the huge drifts of it when it fell more appealing than Christmas decorations.

As was tradition in Sasuke's family,the whole lot of them piled into the back of Fugaku's station wagon, and they drove out to the mountains surrounding the sprawling city in search of pine trees.

Even in his car it was a bit of a squeeze; Fugaku and Mikoto in the front, Naruto, Sasuke and Itachi in the middle, with Tamamo shifting over the laps of her parents and uncle, and Obito, Anko and Hana (whom Itachi had recently started seeing) squashed in the back. The car was only supposed to fit seven people so it was a squash.

After finally arriving at one of the forestry plantations on the edge of the city, the chaos started; Tamamo had been enthralled in kicking the snow with her wellies, and Obito had only encouraged her by carefully throwing a softly mad snowball at her. Most girls her age might have cried at the bad aim, but Tamamo found it amazing. She put on an evil little smile that had Obito running of to help his father chop down the first of the trees that would be tied to the roof of the car.

Tamamo chased after him, hurling much harder snowballs at him after some instruction from Anko and Hana, and he ended up running away from her, calling her a demon child as she pelted him with snow; Itachi was outright laughing until she changed her target and pelted him in the face with one. After that, the Christmas tree expedition had degenerated into an all out battle.

She, Tamamo, Sasuke, Mikoto, Hana, and Anko had hidden behind one dense copse of bushes, whilst Itachi, Obito and Fugaku had hidden behind trees on their own, cursing them to the high heavens; after emerging victorious, Tamamo promptly fell asleep after demanding Sasuke carry her, and they returned to the job in hand.

Fun aside, Naruto was putting some extra hours in at Killer Bee's; there was no point in having the miniature tree in the corner of the living room when there was nothing to go under it. Well there was, but Naruto wanted to try and get a bit more under it. She didn't spoil her daughter much (unlike Sasuke, who was neatly twisted around her little finger), so she wanted to make the most of it.

The only drawback was that she didn't see either of them as much, but apparently Sasuke's mother was five steps ahead of her once again if the sight that greeted her three weeks before Christmas was anything to go by.

"Sasuke? I thought you were going to take Tamamo to see your parents?" Naruto asked, entering their small apartment and catching sight of her boyfriend slumped on the sofa.

She caught sight of half a microwaved lasagne on the table and her mouth began to water; thank god they had got a microwave now. She wouldn't have been up for making even a sandwich, and if Sasuke had made something from scratch it would have killed her.

"I did – she sent me back. She was complaining about not seeing her, and Obito was there too, so they've kidnapped her for the night; dad said he'd drive her back after my shift tomorrow..." he replied, getting up from the sofa to snatch the lasagne and bung it in the microwave before she could reach it.

Raising an eyebrow, she flopped onto one of the chairs and watched as her boyfriend began pressing buttons on the microwave with a tentative finger; Sasuke could use a microwave, but it was still a very slow process, and he often had to go hunting for the instruction manual to make sure he wasn't going to blow it up.

"What's all this?" she asked, eyeing the reheated micro-meal lasagne in curiosity as he plonked it down in front of her; there also seemed to be a box of micro chips on the side of the plate.

Sasuke said noting and handed her a fork; she thought about what he had said about his mother then glanced at the microwave food. This was a Sasuke's attempt at being romantic. That was all it could be; she didn't know whether to laugh at him or kiss him. It was adorable either way – he really couldn't cook, though he had improved since they moved out of his parent's house.

Sasuke said nothing as she ate the food – which didn't taste half bad really – but she could see the nervous frown on his face all the same; once finished she stared at him for a few moments, before getting up from the seat and kissing him. The lights were on the fritz again, beyond Sasuke's skill to repair, and neither of them had thought to buy candles or a torch, so the only light was from the moon.

They had some big windows in the kitchen-living room part of the flat, so it shone through the whole room; Naruto couldn't help but think about how weird a date this was. Micro-food and no lights. It was still nice though. They hadn't had any time to themselves in a while.

"Bloody charmer" she grunted, dumping her cleared plate in the sink before following him to the sofa; The tv picked up about three channels (one of them black and white), but instead of tuning it onto one of the stations, he handed her one of the controllers for the games console that had been taken from his bedroom; it was still well used since it entertained Tamamo, and was permanently plugged in.

Unlike Tamamo, Naruto could play the proper shoot-'em-up games, and she took a manic delight in actually beating Sasuke at one of his favourite games, even if it did take four hours to accomplish; Sasuke glared at the screen, as if blaming it for his loss, and Naruto snickered at him for a few moments before kissing him. Sasuke's pride was too sensitive sometimes.

He remained stony faced, so she crawled onto his lap and kissed him again. She got a bit more response that time, and grinned as he kissed her back; she kissed him again, with some enthusiasm, and felt his hands slipping under her shirt as his tongue brushed over her lips and against her own.

He got so responsive that he didn't even care when her own enthusiasm pulled them off the sofa and onto the floor.

* * *

_**I updated because I think I was on the verge of being given back all the bad Karma I've been working off. Very nearly finished this story - in terms of the chapters I've written up. Only a few more to go. This story seems so long compared to my newer ones - I use more pages and use a smaller font for it so I can write more... It's actually somewhat exhausting to write.**_

_**I love it though - of all the stories I've written with pregnancy in them, this one is the best. **_

_**Song quote is from **_**'Because of You' **_**by Kelly Clarkson.**_  
_**Hope you liked the chapter!**_  
_**:)**_


	8. September & October

**THE DICHOTOMY OF ****FAMILY AND GENETICS**

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Naruto never though much about her own family; then she got one whether it was wanted or not. All of a sudden, she finds herself missing what she had never had, and what she had never missed, before. SasuNaru (FemNaru), slight GaaSaku, ShikaIno, KakaRin, JiraTsu, MinaKushi, & YahiKonan.

* * *

**CHAPTER VIII  
~ SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER ~**

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Tell me what you want to hear;  
Something that will light those ears.  
Sick of all the insinceres,  
I'm gonna give all my secrets away.

* * *

"Pink." Sasuke insisted stubbornly.  
"Yellow!" Naruto snapped back in reply.

Sasuke growled and attempted to snatch the can of paint form Naruto's hand; unfortunately for him, Naruto had gained a smidgen more time getting used to their speed demon daughter, and she dodged the grabbing motion and snatched his can of vomit coloured paint instead, before darting out of the room.

"Damn it Naruto! Just because you hate pink doesn't mean she does – look at the way she plays with Sakura and Tayuya's hair all the time!" he yelled, chasing after her in an attempt to reclaim the paint pot.

A month since Christmas had passed, and the two of them had finally decided to make the flat look a little better starting with Tamamo's room; unfortunately, that meant agreeing on the colour of paint. Sasuke felt like he had been sucked into a horrible cliché, but yellow was such a boring colour.

Well, unless it was the hair of Minato – then it was worth noticing, but mostly it was bland. His original instinct had been to go with red, but that was probably a bit much for a two-year old's room. So, as much as he hated the colour himself, he had dimmed it down a bit. It wasn't a very bright pink anyway – it was paler than Sakura's hair. He hadn't counted on Naruto though.

Of course she would want something stupid like yellow; it wouldn't be such a problem if he could catch her, but Tamamo got her demonic speed from someone, and it wasn't him. He was the bookworm, Naruto was the artsy, sporty one, and catching her when she was running away was an utter nightmare.

"What does that have to do with anything? Its a weird hair colour! It not gonna be pin-"

Before Naruto could continue her sentence they were interrupted by a knock at the door, and Sasuke turned to open it. Kakashi stood on the other side of he door with the serious expression that usually adorned his hidden features when he found something useful. After the usual greetings, and Naruto had handed Tamamo her crayons and paper to keep her occupied, Kakashi got down to business.

"Well, I cant say much for finding your mother, but I'm pretty certain I've found your father."

Even Sasuke's jaw dropped at that, but Naruto, she was floored. He had found her father? He was alive? She didn't... know how to react to that. Her father was alive. That meant he had abandoned her too, didn't it?

"H-How did you-?"

Sasuke cut himself off mid sentence, his surprise clearly highlighted with the uncharacteristic stutter; she couldn't blame him. They had both been under the impression that her father was dead (probably an attempt to give her some peace of mind on one of her parents at least).

"Actually I found him through a friend of mine; he heard I was looking for Kushina, and called me up. He conducted a search for her himself several months before Naruto turned up at Iruka's, and a few years ago too"

He glanced at their stunned faces for a few moments, then continued.

"Turns out it was a bit of a scandal when she disappeared; your mother was a teacher, sciences if I remember, at a school in the Hokage district. She lived in the whirlpool county before that. Anyway, she left the school very suddenly. I don't think it would be hard to imagine why..."

Because of her. Her mother had left her job because she was pregnant. Well didn't that do wonders for her self esteem? Why did she have to quit anyway? There was paternity leave and stuff for teachers!

"I wish I had a picture, but I couldn't find anything a written description– turns out she had red hair though. Her eyes were a blusish colour, but not bright. She was twenty five when she disappeared, so that would put her at 42 now... "

One of her hands moved to her thick, fiery cadmium hair in slow automation. She took after her mother then. Her hair. Tamamo's hair. They were from her mother. She had thought her mother was blonde. Apparently not. She glanced at her daughter, happily scribbling away with a variety of green crayons (there was the answer to the paint question, she thought absently).

Tamamo's eyes, they came from her mother. They had to – Kakashi had just said as much. That must mean hers came from her father. They were far brighter than Tamamo's were. She was a half-half blend as far as her head went.

"The search itself was conducted by one of her students."

A student? Why would a student... Naruto's eyes widened, and she stared at Kakashi with even more surprise; no way! That was why she left? No way! It certainly explained why she left though... wow. Dislike for her mother aside, she sure had guts having a thing with a student... wow. That was kind of... wow.

"I have every reason to believe that he has no idea of your existence, but I do have his address and phone number for you."

Kakashi slid a small piece of paper across the table, and Naruto's human paws quickly snapped it up, allowing her eyes to scan the dried ink atop the paper surface; _Minato Namikaze, 4 Hermit Avenue, East Hokage, Konoha. 01573-857-099._

"...I haven't made any contact with him; that's not for me to do. The address is there if you want to get in touch. I did some digging on him, and he works at-"

"He works at Konoha General..." Naruto whispered, staring at the small sheet of paper.

* * *

Naruto stared at the piece of paper in the swimming feelings of disbelief and confusion. There couldn't be any mistaking that name – Namikaze wasn't that common a name, and Kakashi didn't have a shred of doubt in his findings to her eyes.

He was her father? He had been that close this whole time, and she didn't know? What kind of twisted mess was this? She felt Sasuke tug the small square of paper from her fingers, then heard the sharp intake of breath as he read the words scribbled in Kakashi's untidy scrawl.

"Minato?"  
"You know him?" Kakashi asked, looking a little surprised.  
"He's Tamamo's doctor; after she caught pneumonia, he sort of took charge of her permanently..." Sasuke replied, the stun in his voice evident.

Naruto felt eyes on her, but she couldn't think anything of them; he was her father? Well it certainly confirmed the fact that he didn't know who she was, or there would have been fireworks when they first met outside the neonatal ICU. This... he was her _father?_

That... so Tsunade was her grandmother? She had been there all along too? Who thought up shit like this? The gods? Screw them! This was just cruel! She had been looking for her family all this time, and they were right under her nose? That wasn't fair!

"Didn't you say that Kushina had blonde hair?" Sasuke asked, jerking Naruto's attention to the conversation.

She had thought that too, especially since she had heard it form the old landlady her self. Did that mean it was someone else who had dumped her at the orphanage? Or had Kushina dyed her hair? She couldn't imagine it would have been cheap or easy – she had dyed her hair that shade once herself, and getting all the red roots covered had been a nightmare.

Salons were expensive, so she couldn't image Kushina splashing cash on hair dye without a job... it just wasn't practical, plus Tsunade had advised her against using those strong chemicals when she was pregnant. She hadn't planned on drinking any or something, but Tsunade was insistent, so she had obliged... Tsunade! She was her grandmother!

"That, I admit, puzzles me. Mrs. Utatane told me she was a nurse too, but that theory has been blown out of the water... My guess is that it was someone acting on her behalf, but I can't even guess who. She's done a good job of hiding herself..."

Not a nurse, not blonde, who had left her there then? Did her mother even have any clue she had been left at an orphanage? Why would she go to all that trouble to hide her appearance? To sign with her own name at the hotel, go to all that trouble to make sure she was looked after, even if it was only for a month?

"I think I'll come back another day; this seems to have been a bit of an earthquake. I'll leave the file I've gathered here for you."  
"Thanks Kakashi..."

There was a sound of footsteps, of a door opening and closing. This... This was so surreal. She had been searching for anyone she could be related to, and now she had found her father and her grandmother, hiding right under her nose. At least she had the comfort that they were nice people, not druggies or murderers or something (Sasori didn't count since his murderous act was requested).

"Naruto?"

She looked up, felling like she was blinking for the first time. Sasuke was seated beside her again, looking only a few fractions less shell shocked than she was.

"I can't... They were right there? All this time wondering, and they were right there all along?"

Minato; the nice doctor with the stupid grin was her father, and Tsunade! She had been there even longer than Minato! She had been her Obstetrician or whatever it was called, as well as her midwife... right from the start! Right from that stupid notion to get an abortion, she had been right in front of her!

Water spilled from her tear ducts completely of their own accord; damn it, why was she crying? Why waste tears on this? Were they happy, sad or frustrated? Why was she crying? It was stupid!

Stupid as they were, she didn't stop the reassurance from the arms winding themselves around her shoulders.

* * *

Naruto glared at the piece of paper that laid on her coffee table with a passion before turning it towards the telephone instead, and back to the paper once again. it had been a month since the meeting with Kakashi, and she had yet to call the number on the piece of paper.

It wasn't that she hadn't tried, but there was always something better to do, or she didn't have the time; she was running out of excuses, but picking up the phone had never seemed so terrifying - Sasuke, for his part, found her dithering around the phone to be an irritating amusement.

Everything seemed to have snapped back into place with the arrival of the information; Yahiko had started letting Sasuke loose on actual plugs, Killer Bee had given everyone a pay rise because the new shop in Suna had taken off so well, Sakura was back on speaking terms with Tayuya, and her father was out of jail. Even Itachi had some good news of his own; he had a girlfriend now – Kiba's sister, of all people.

Everything was good, except for the matter of the piece of paper.

"Mama!"

The energetic little blur dashed from the doorway and clambered onto the sofa with impressive speed, and Naruto resigned herself to the routine attempt at squashing. Sasuke snickered as he hung up their coats by the door.

"Hello hell spawn; did you have a good time with Papa?" Naruto asked, giving the almost-two-year-old a suffocating squeeze of her own.  
"Grams made shaved ice!" the redhead squealed.

The traces of sticky lemon flavouring at the edges of her mouth told Naruto that Tamamo's visit with her grandparents had been a very enjoyable one.

"Really? What else did you have for dinner?"  
"Soup and Mice! Papa and Unca Tachi made it!"  
"That's Rice," Sasuke corrected, pulling off his shoes.

Alarm crossed Naruto's face and she mad no effort to hide it as Sasuke took a seat of his own in his second-choice chair - Mikoto had let Tamamo eat food that Sasuke had played a hand in making? Had she gone insane? He was good for chopping only – and only because he was a filer. He had the DVD's alphabetised by genre, and his need to organize everything stretched to even food portions. That didn't mean he could cook though.

"I didn't cook anything - just chopped the cabbage. Itachi burned the water when he tried boiling it though; mother threw us both out at that point..." Sasuke reassured her, sounding very much like he was sulking.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief - the last time she had eaten something Sasuke had made had been on white day in her second year of middle school. She'd had digestive problems for three days even if the food had tasted all right at first bite.

Half listening to her daughter chatter on about interaction with her grandfather - who knew Fugaku Uchiha was capable of the _coin-behind-the-ear_ trick? - she allowed her eyes to wander back to the piece of paper.

She didn't understand what she was so afraid of; being dumped on a doorstep was a pretty big one to top, but if Kakashi was to be believed Minato didn't know a thing about her.

"Grams said Mama has to visit next time!" Tamamo informed her pointedly, making a very determined expression.

Naruto nodded, and her daughter resumed the chatter. Family was such a foreign thing to her, but the craving for it just wouldn't die. This was nothing more than nerves really, and she'd played in enough music contests to handle nerves right? It had to be the same sort of thing; just pushing it to the side and getting on with the show was the best way to go.

Tamamo dropped her chatter in favour of the TV; it was a nature documentary on forest animals. Naruto's attention was perked by the appearance of a litter of fox kits. Tamamo was equally fascinated and dropped off the sofa to get a closer view of the screen.

After giving a warning about screen closeness, Sasuke took the opportunity to steal back his usual corner on the furnishing. Naruto proceeded to turn him into her usual pillow; she'd used it a lot the past few days.

"You should just get it over with; I doubt the guy's going to eat you through the phone."  
"I never said I was thinking about that."  
"You were staring at the address again" Sasuke replied.

His eyes glanced at Tamamo, and he issued a warning before she got too close the screen; he glanced at the programme, and winced as a fox tore into a mole on the TV screen.

"Is this really safe for her to watch?" he asked, gesturing with a raised eyebrow to Tamamo.  
"Are you kidding? She hasn't made a sound since it came on! She loves it!" Naruto grinned.

Indeed, Tamamo sat in the chair closer to the screen, staring with wide eyed fascination as the baby foxes chewed on the dead mole with vigour. Sasuke remained unconvinced until the girl began yawning in the chair as the documentary neared it's end. It was hardly the typical bedtime story, but anything that would get Tamamo to sleep was game in his book.

As Sasuke carried the sleepy girl to her room, Naruto glanced at the paper once again, and then to the clock on the digi-box. Eight PM; there was still time to make a phone call, and she was more likely to avoid interrupting any business now. It was as good a time as any really. Taking a deep breath, she snatched the paper from the coffee table, moved to the phone an removed it form it's dock with determined resolve.

The three rings before the line was picked up were agonizingly slow, but oddly not slow enough. Naruto suddenly found herself in conversation with her father.

"Hello, Minato _Namikaze speaking._"  
Naruto felt her breath stick to the back of her throat.

* * *

Minato answered his phone curiously; it was odd for him to receive one. He had a completely different number for work, and he didn't have that many friends, so he didn't often receive them at home.

"Hello?" he asked, curiosity peaking by the second.

He heard something reminiscent of a choking noise, but received nothing in the way of a reply. his curiosity peaked again.

"Hello?" he asked again.

There was another choking noise before a squawk of shock emerged through the speaker and there was a clattering noise – the caller seemed to have dropped the phone on their end.

_"Ah, I'm sorry, uh, this..."  
_"Naruto?"

He blinked in surprise; how did Naruto know his home phone number? They didn't give it out at the hospital and he had never given it to her. What did she want? Was Tamamo sick again? Why didn't she just call him at the hospital?

_"Uh, Yeah, that's me... I'm sorry to be a bother Dr. Namikaze, but would it be possible to meet up sometime this week? There's something that I... I need to discuss with you... its not a medical thing but, it's important..." _

Normally accepting such an invitation from one of his patients would have been unwise, but something about the well hidden desperation in her voice threw suspicion out of the window. Naruto had been a child herself (in the eyes of the law) after giving birth, so she had been under his watch during her recovery. He knew her a lot better than most patients, and if she was being this serious about something, it had to be important.

"Why not? I could use a jostle in my day for once. I have a few hours free tomorrow afternoon, would that be suitable?" he asked, failing to keep the grin from crossing his face.

_"Tomorrow? I mean, uh, Yes as long as it doesn't get in the way of-"  
_"It's fine Naruto, can you come by my office about one?" he ventured.  
_"Uh, one is good... Uh, Thank you so much! Really, thank you! Um, Goodbye!"_

There was a clatter as the nerve-racked owner of the voice replaced her phone on its holder, ending the phone call. He stared at the phone for a few moments before replacing it himself. Things had suddenly become a lot more interesting.

* * *

When Sasuke returned from putting down the smallest member of his red-haired family, it was to see Naruto stood in the middle of the room staring dumbly at the phone; she hadn't even bothered to turn off the game show that had replaced the fox documentary.

That raised an eyebrow given she hated them with a passion. she seemed to have finally got the damn phone call out of the way, but he wasn't sure if her reaction was a good one or a bad one; she wasn't making enough of an expression or showing any of her nervous ticks to make an informed decision.

He poked her in the shoulder a couple of times and she still retained her glazed expression; it wasn't exactly a blank look, it looked more like the distant one she got playing her sax or sketching...

After a moment pondering the inevitable violence that would follow his actions he pulled her towards him and kissed her. She was so dazed, his hand was wriggling under her shirt and she was nibbling on his lip before she came to her senses.

She whacked him on the shoulder several times and hissed about stupid horny perverts (she somehow managed to restrict the yelling once Tamamo had been put down for the night) before she calmed down.

"What was that for, all out of the blue like that?" she huffed, crossing her arms defensively.  
"You don't have to sound so disgusted you know" he grumbled rolling his eyes and dragging her down onto the sofa again.

"Answer the question perv" she persisted, though seemingly less objectionable; she didn't object to his hands running her sides at any rate.

"I poked you three times and you still didn't answer - how'd the call go?" he asked, stopping his hands; given he more serious nature of the matter it didn't seem appropriate for the moment.

Naruto ignored the question, instead attempting to continue what she had been violently objecting to moments earlier - she had to go for his neck too, that was always a weak spot damn it! He didn't _really_ see why he was objecting...

Well, he didn't object to the attention, but dodging the issue was what had set them back almost two years in the first place. Placing a hand either side of her shoulder, her forced her to look him in the eye and gave her the 'spit-it-out' glare. Her face contorted a little before she flopped down and mumbled something into his chest.

"Naruto, I can't hear you when you talk to my t-shirt" he complained.

Naruto pulled her head up and repeated the answer.  
"I'm meeting him at the hospital tomorrow" she blurted, almost too fast for him to hear.

Sasuke wished he'd just let her do the neck thing when he had the chance.

* * *

Naruto stared at the huge building in front of her; the main entrance of Konoha General Hospital had never looked so big and imposing before. It seemed to occupy even her peripheral vision, like it was following her. She felt sick at the sight of it. She'd been feeling sick all day at the thought of meeting her daughter's doctor as her... father.

She had called Minato last night at the number Kakashi had given her (apparently a home number). He had been very surprised to get a call from her at his home rather the hospital, but he seemed to take it in his stride, and had agreed to meet her during his lunch break.

She hadn't mentioned where she got his number, or why she wanted to talk. It was a stupid way of discussing what she wanted to ask him; a phone could be slammed onto a receiver in cowardice all too easily. No, face to face was the only way she would be able to say anything to him, ask him anything.

But what was she supposed to say? _'Hi, did you have fling with your teacher, cuz if you did, you might be my dad'_? Oh yes, that would go down swimmingly.

Taking a deep breath she pushed open the door and headed for the lifts; she didn't know if it was luck or a curse that one had just arrived. The floors seemed to speed by in a slow, dreamy pace, but the paediatric floor arrived all too quickly. One of he nurses waved at her – it was the green haired intern who had been at Tamamo's birth.

Should she go see Tsunade too, or was it better to let Minato tell her in his own time? She had been close to Tsunade though, so it might be an insult not to tell her herself... Gods of Fire, she hadn't even spoken to Minato yet. Finding his office was easy, and she sat down on one of the hall chairs.

He had said to wait there for him, but she didn't know if it was any comfort. She couldn't get her thoughts together at all. How on earth did you tell someone they were your father? Should she even be telling him this in the middle of the day? He had suggested the tiume, but this wasn't the sort of thing a doctor needed in the middle of the day was it?

God, why was she here? He'd probably be happier not knowing anything about her more than he already did! It'd save her from setting herself up for a fall – he might take it badly after all. Did she want to risk that? He was already a sort of friend, and his brother was Sasuke's boss!

What if it got weird for him because of all this? Shit, that made him her uncle didn't it? Oh for the love of fire, who next? Was Gaara going to turn out her second cousin thrice removed? She was half considering getting up and high tailing it out of the hospital when a familiar voice echoed through the hallway, calling her name.

She turned her head in the direction and was greeted with Tsunade.

"It's nice to see you again, but what are you doing here? I don't see Tamamo anywhere... Is Minato seeing her?" the blonde midwife asked, looking around curiously.

"I..."

Naruto's tongue froze; she didn't know what she was supposed to say. Was she supposed to just come out and say it? She hadn't spoken to Minato yet! She didn't know what to tell Tsunade! The woman must have noticed her discomfort because she sat down on the chair next to her.

"Naruto? Did something happen to her again? Where's Sasuke?"

_Again?_ What was she talking about? Oh, right, the intervention when Tamamo got pneumonia. Tsunade had helped her out a lot there; she really did owe her for that. If she hadn't said all she had, things wouldn't have turned out so well at all. What had she said? Half of it was a blur now...

She remembered that she had been pretty insistent on the age thing – that had been kind of odd. Still, it was thanks to Tsunade that she was still together with Sasuke, that they were standing on their own two feet now. She at least owed her the truth about all this didn't she? Tsunade had helped her out so much, even if she chickened out of telling Minato, she owed it to Tsunade.

"It's not that. It's more... It's a personal thing I guess." she replied, finally finding her voice.  
"Personal?" the blonde asked, a frown marring her features.

Naruto nodded silently.

"Kakashi... He came by last night with some stuff on my mother... He said that Dr. Namikaze... That he knew her..."  
"D-Did he tell you her name?" Tsunade asked.  
"Kushina Uzumaki; he said she used to be a...

She started explaining, maintaining eye contact, but as Tsunade's face began to loosen into disbelief, something began to snap into place.

Tsunade had _always_ been there hadn't she? She sometimes looked at her with a strange expression when she thought she wasn't looking. She had asked Minato to take care of Tamamo himself... She had done far more for her than the average midwife or obstetrician.

"_Naruto, you've only just passed your seventeenth birthday by a few months. I'm not saying you aren't a good parent, because you're doing a lot better than some women just by being here...You simply haven't matured enough to deal with that kind of responsibility by yourself yet."_

She had been very insistent on the age thing too. Concentrating, she could remember her saying just as much. Very insistent actually, thinking back it was almost like she was talking from personal experience, but she knew that Tsunade hadn't had her kids at the same age...

"_Can't say where she came from – very tight lipped on that sort of thing she was, but she seemed the posh type. Blonde, looked like she was from one of those well-bred families. As for her job, I think she worked in a hospital. Always had a nurses outfit on when she came back for the night at any rate..."_

Blonde. A nurses outfit. Tsunade wasn't a nurse, she was a midwife, but there wasn't much difference between the two uniforms was there? This... Naruto stared at Tsunade for a few moments, before rising from the chair as anger began to tremble through her.

"You knew... You knew all this time didn't you? It was you who left me there wasn't it...? You left me at the orphanage!"

The lack of denials or consternation was enough of an answer for her; Tsunade just sat there calmly, though apparently she had the decency to look guilty. That didn't make up for it though! She had left her, and then she'd had the nerve to walk around under her nose knowing everything all this time!

"Why the hell... You just... What, were you doing, trying to make up for dumping me there? You think walking around under my nose like that would make up for it? No! You just... You don't get off like that!"

"Naruto, I know you're mad but just let me explain, please. I know it was a horrible thing to do, but I had my reas-"

"No! Don't you dare try say anything to me! You dumped me, and then you lied right to my face! You knew I was looking for my family! You could have told me any time you wanted! You don't get off from this!" Naruto snapped loudly.

Very loudly; several people in the hall way had paused to stare at the two women in the middle of a very serious argument, one of them a top employee of the hospital no less. Tsunade was just as oblivious as she was, and began to take several steps towards her, hands in a calming gesture.

"Naruto, please! I know how this must feel but-"

Naruto punched her square in the jaw before she could say anything. She had no right to even think that sentence!

"NO! You can't just abandon someone and then think hanging around in front of them like bait is going to make it right! You knew I was looking for... " she yelled, feeling tears spilling from her eyes.

She knew what it felt like? She had no clue! She had no fucking clue what this felt like. She'd spent years hating her parents, more recently her mother, and now Tsunade, someone she had trusted, turned out to be the source of all her grief? She liked Tsunade! She had liked her before she turned out to be her grandmother! But this...

"You don't have a clue Tsunade! You don't know anything! You dumped me on a fucking doorstep! You don't have any idea how it fee-"

"What the heck is going on here?"

Naruto froze as the voice of, there was no doubt about it now, her father. Oh god, he had to turn up now didn't he? This wasn't fair! Turning to look behind her, she could easily see to flummoxed expression on his face. His eyes flickered from Naruto's fists, both of which were still tightly clenched, her fingers digging into her palms to try keep her rage under control. Then they moved to the red mark on Tsunade's jaw and widened.

"Minato... What are you doing here?" Tsunade asked, suddenly very anxious.  
"I'm asking the questions! What the hell is going on?"

She didn't answer him, refusing to meet his piercing gaze; his eyes seemed so unfriendly now. The bright quality that he shared with her own was gone, reflecting like a hard glint instead. Naruto had never seen him mad before, and if she hadn't be so utterly incensed herself, she would probably felt a tiny shiver.

He turned towards Naruto.  
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to share what's going on?" he asked.

Naruto probably should have held her tongue, tried to keep herself calm, but she couldn't be anywhere near either of them now. Not after that realisation.

"She dumped her own granddaughter off at a fucking orphanage is what's going on!" she spat.

Naruto glared once at Tsunade, before disappearing down the hallway, give only a moments glance to the stunned expression on her father's face.

* * *

Sasuke watched as Tamamo fumbled around in the sandpit with a boy about five years old.

Naruto had been gone well past an hour, and he hoped that was a good thing; so many dead ends wasn't exactly a morale boost. He wanted her to find her parents, he did, but there was always the possibility her parents wouldn't be welcoming. Naruto said she only wanted to know where she came from, but that was a two faced lie if ever he saw one; she wanted their acceptance, should she find either of them, or at the very least a _good_ explanation.

Exhaling a breath of air he slumped back on the bench and kept his gaze on the little girl; she really was like a clone of Naruto, right down to her knack of getting into trouble. Like now; he wasn't sure _what_ she planning to do with that sand in her tiny fists, but he knew it wouldn't be a good thing. He was right - she was approaching the pale eyed five year old from behind hands held high.

"Tamamo..." he growled in a warning tone.

The girl turned to look at him; she hadn't _quite_ managed to achieve the blameless look her mother had perfected, but she was close. She immediately dropped the sand behind her back and pulled a cheesy grin on her small face. Sasuke maintained the strict face, though he wouldn't deny the tugging on his heartstrings a little (he dreaded the day when Naruto taught her the puppy-dog eyes). She ran up on sturdy little legs and tugged his trouser leg, hopping up and down impatiently.

"Jooce pease"  
"Milk" Sasuke informed her.

The last time he'd given her juice she'd not fallen asleep till ten pm; the sad thing was it wasn't even full of additives - his mother had been testing out a new juicer with some oranges. Whoever said only sugar made kids hyper was lying through their teeth. Milk wasn't much better really, but the girl wouldn't drink anything else – she hated water.

Pulling out one of the mini, multi-pack bottles from his rucksack her handed it to the disgruntled two year old. After unscrewing the top and taking several gulps she looked up at him again.

"Where's Mama?"

Sasuke stumbled over the answer for a few moments; he didn't know how to explain the situation that her two year old mind would understand. if he said she was meeting someone, she would ask why, and he couldn't exactly answer that if he didn't really know himself.

"Mama went to... fight a big scary monster"  
"Like the Cupboard Monster? With big teeth?"

Sasuke was alarmed when instead of growing terrified her eyes lit up; was that a good thing? He knew Naruto liked horror films, but for a two year old to like the Cupboard Monster was not usual was it? Weren't they usually terrified of it? _He'd _certainly been petrified of them when he was a kid, embarrasingly so. He knew letting her watch all those nature documentaries was a bad idea...

"Loads of teeth; lots and lots of... teeth... Why don't you go back and play in the sandbox hell spawn?"

Sasuke really wished he hadn't said that even if it was somewhat true; he didn't like this sudden fascination of his daughter's with teeth. Thankfully, the miniature redhead immediately found the sandbox more interesting than her mother's monster battles.

As she turned away, he caught sight of an older couple giving her that look; he hated those narrow minded bigots. he could understand the looks when they were directed at him, he didn't like them when they were directed at Naruto but he couldn't deny he did understand them.

He failed to understand why a two-year-old should receive such a disgusted look though. A glance towards the sandpit once again and he almost choked when the scene in front of him was translated to his brain; Tamamo was persuading the five-year-old boy with the scarf to eat the sand, non-voluntairily.

"Tamamo Chidori Uzumaki, stop that right now!"

It wasn't the sound of Naruto's voice that startled him, but the tone. He hadn't heard her that angry since... The last time he had heard her that angry was when they broke up for the first time. Even when She had yelled at him during his father's intervention, she hadn't been that angry, and she had certainly never used the tone with Tamamo. In fact, Sasuke had never heard her use the girl's middle name like that before...

Tamamo, for her part, looked like a bomb had dropped on her; she had never seen Naruto on full warpath before, even if she had been scolded for some of the pranks that were a little too dangerous for her mother's comfort. The sand in her hands had drained from her fingers in utter shock at the tone in Naruto's voice.

As he spotted Naruto's face, he quickly decided that the best place to be was in between the two of them. Naruto was incensed enough to lash out at someone right now. Maybe not physically, and certainly not at Tamamo, but the shouting would definitely make an appearance if he left her to herself.

Quickly he caught her arm and dragged her over to the bench he had been sitting on as she approached the sandpit; he felt his skin turn a shade paler at the expression on her face. What on earth had _happened?_

Naruto glared at him for a moment, but after a glance at her stunned, anxious, two year old, she seemed to get her anger back under control, and forced her face into a mildly irritated expression instead of the utter fury that had been there before.

"What happened?" he asked quietly.

Naruto grinned at Tamamo until the shock seemed to leave her face and she turned back to the sand, albeit with much more reserve than she had before. Naruto watched for a few moments before slumping over onto his shoulder. The alarm grew when he felt a tell-tale patch of damp material growing on his shirt sleeve.

"Naruto?"

Naruto didn't reply. She didn't say anything else for the rest of the day.

* * *

Minato wasn't sure if he should be fuming or confused as he opened the door to his parent's house; His mother had finished earlier than he had, so he'd had a nightmare of an afternoon processing what seemed to have happened.

Naruto was his daughter. Naruto. The little red head he had almost mistaken for Kushina when he first saw her in the hospital. She was his _daughter? _And his mother _knew? _He was veering towards being utterly incensed with fury, but he needed to keep his head on his shoulders for a little while longer.

Naruto had obviously found out before he arrived, and she clearly hadn't taken it well. He wondered if that was why she had wanted to meet up, to tell him the news herself. He knew she had a PI digging up anything on her mother, but that was as much as he had bothered to ask. Maybe he should have...

"Kid? What are you doing here?" his father asked as he stomped into the living room of his childhood home – he couldn't help it, keeping a cool head right now was much harder than it looked.

"Where's Mother?" he asked, trying to keep the bite out of his voice.

His fathers eyes widened in surprise at the tone in his voice; it wasn't often he got so angry that it could be heard in verbal undertones, and even less frequently with his parents or brother (though he did loose it with Yahiko a little more often).

"What's got you so wound up?" Jiraiya asked, completely lowering his notepad and pen in intrigue.  
"I wish I knew – wheres is she?"  
"I'm right here Minato..."

He whirled round to face the blonde woman standing in the kitchen doorway. Everything about her expression, the way she slumped against the door frame, was a tell tale sign that he was not going to like the answer to his questions.

"What the _hell_ is going on? How is it that _you_ seem to know all about a daughter I didn't even know _existed?" _he snapped.

Keeping calm really was more difficult than it looked; his father really _did_ drop the pad and pen in shock, and Minato tried to concentrate on his stunned expression. It was something else to think about instead of yelling. Yelling would be useless right now.

"I can give you an answer Minato but I can't tell you everything. I don't _know_ what Kushina was thinking then so..."  
"Just _tell_ me!" he yelled, loosing a little of his self-control.

His mother glanced at him nervously for the first time since appearing in the doorway, before entering the room and seating herself wearily on one of the sofas. He caught the hint that the explanation was going to be a long one, and copied the action with a stony face.

* * *

"Tsunade, can you go check on the woman in room thirteen? Poor thing's all by herself, and time isn't going quickly for her"

After nodding to her fellow midwife, Tsunade started down the hall for room thirteen. She couldn't get her usual enthusiasm into her work recently, and the axe hovering over the head of the hospital wasn't helping matters.

Minato had been acting completely... He had turned into a zombie these past months. Ever since that teacher of his had disappeared from the school without a word of explanation. Well, Kushina wasn't exactly a teacher for him. They certainly didn't scream it out to the open, but Tsunade knew her two boys, and she knew love when she saw it.

That had been obvious on his face last year, but now, he acted like something had died inside him. She didn't know what she could say to him to get the life back into him. She wasn't supposed to _know_ about his relationship with Kushina after all, and for all she knew she could just be making matters worse.

Sighing in frustration, she opened the door to greet the woman inside. Her jaw dropped as the face of Kushina Uzumaki stared back at her own in surprised horror.

"_K-Kushina?_ What are you-? You-"

Her eyes moved slowly to the distended stomach that could only mean pregnancy and the cogs behind the woman's disappearance bean to click and whir into place. Oh dear hell on earth... No wonder she had jumped of the face of Fire Country. Minato may have been tall for his age, but he had only just turned sixteen a few months ago...

"M-Mrs. Namikaze? What are you... Do you work here?" Kushina asked, her flushed face paling in panic.  
"I'm your midwife..."

Oh dear god. She didn't know what she was suppose to do in this situation. On the one hand she had a job to do, but on the other, the job was her son's teacher-turned-lover who was brimming over with... her grandkid. Dear god, she was a grandmother, and she was only thirty seven! No, that wasn't the issue...

She quickly closed the door behind her and began checking the baby's heart rate, Kushina's heart rate, her bloods... those were both a little off, though nothing dangerous. They bugged her for some reason, but she couldn't remember where she had seen the same thing before.

She settled awkwardly into one of the chairs next to her bed. She's have to wait until she could time the contractions, and the waiting gave her more time to let this sudden revelation sink in.

Her son, her _sixteen-year-old_, was a father; did Minato know? She'd guess not, but he was acting incredibly depressed. Maybe he did know after all, and had been hit by two nasty meteors these past few months.

"Does he _know?" _she asked, rubbing her temples, trying to banish the problem with the power of thought.

Kushina blinked in confusion, then her eyes widened.

"You knew?" she asked, voice hardly more than a whisper.  
"I suspected, but it wasn't my buisness to ask or assume... Does he _know_ Kushina?"

The red-haired woman shook her head looking away again; guilt was sprawled across her face as she flopped back in the bed. Tsunade had no idea what she was supposed to say to the woman now; was she supposed to be mad or glad that Minato knew absolutely nothing of this? There was fault and gain on either side of the coin.

What was Kushina going to _do_? Was she going to _tell_ Minato in the future or keep this under the rug for the rest of her life? This was so confusing, and she didn't have any idea what she was supposed to do to handle this situation. Kushina was going to give birth to her grandkid in the next few hours at the earliest, to her youngest son's _baby..._

This certainly wasn't something they prepared you for at medical school; the air was filled with the unease and nervousness from both occupants of the room, and it was suffocating. Tsunade found herself praying to the gods of fire country to do something, _anything_ for a distraction.

Apparently they listened, because a fierce contraction ripped through the woman on the bed; Tsunade's internal timer had already taken note of the time for the technical details as she stood from her seat and reseated herself on the edge of the bed as Kushina curled forward from the pain.

It seemed... too strong for such an early contraction; people had different pain thresholds, but this was different. Major worries aside though, the woman shouldn't have come in by herself. She needed someone for moral support, especially given the situation she was in, and Tsunade could give her at least that much.

Perched beside the woman, she pulled her into a calming embrace. The reaction was immediate, and Tsunade wondered how long the woman had gone on without contact from anyone she even remotely knew.

_

* * *

_  
"Do you know the gender?" Tsunade asked.

The contraction had passed some time ago, and there was an awkward atmosphere set heavily in the room once again. Kushina perked up a little at the question, and smiled for the first time since the blonde had entered the room.

"No, but a have a name for both. It works either way, so I don't have to worry about picking one, or getting hung up on a boy or a girl. It let's me have that surprise..." Kushina replied, staring out of the hospital window.

Tsunade nodded one, the frown on her face unseen by the redhead; something about her words had set off her gambling radar; it felt exactly like when she won a bet. Kushina sounded so final about the whole thing that it mad the hairs on the back of her neck rise.

What was Kushina planning to do? Why had she _hidden_ this? She could understand why she had left her job, but why didn't she tell Minato? The situation was far from ideal, but there would have been a way to manage. Of course, it was really Kushina's decision as to what she did, but even if she didn't want to involve Minato, didn't he at least have some right to _know_ about this?

"Is he alright?"

Tsunade jerked from her musings in surprise, not expecting the question, before wondering what she was supposed to say in reply. She could hardly tell her that he had turned into a zombie since she had left – even _Jiraiya_ was having problems getting through to him, and Minato usually told him everything, far more than he did her. She couldn't really say he was a barrel of laughs though.

"He's... dealing" she replied, being deliberately vague with her answer.

Kushina gave her a considering glance – more than likely picking up on the thinly veiled truth – before curling up in response to another contraction. It gave Tsunade a chance to wonder what she was going to tell Jiraiya when she got home, _never mind_ Minato. It didn't take a genius to realise that Kushina didn't want this news spread around, but that baby was still part of their family too.

Should she tell Jiraiya, Minato? Or should she just keep her mouth shut about the whole thing?

"Mrs. Namikaze, I realise that... I know I'm not the only one who has a say in what happens to this baby, but... I don't want him to know about this – it really is better if he _doesn'_t know... He wouldn't be able to handle it, not now. I don't really know you all that well, so I can't ask like a friend would, but for now, I'm your patient so... please don't mention this to anyone, don't tell anyone you even _saw_ me."

Tsundae's jaws dropped open a little at the request; damn the woman was a sneak, throwing her hippocratic oath in her face like that. She had completely forgotten about it, too shocked by the situation she had found herself in to remember the legalities of it.

Kushina didn't have to ask her to keep silent about this, she didn't have a choice.

_

* * *

_  
Kushina went into labour three hours later. Tsunade had never heard someone scream so much, though her husband may have contested that notion (beyond her hearing of course). It didn't have any complications, though some things struck her as off, but Kushina seemed reluctant to respond the rapid increase in contractions for some time.

Respond she did though, and after nine hours Tsunade found herself with her arms full of her granddaughter; she had the same fiery hair as her mother, but her eyes stuck out the most. She knew that colour wasn't going to fade the moment she caught sight of those eyes. Kushina had taken hold of the girl only for a few moments, but it had been long enough for her to hear the girl's name being whispered from her lips.

Naruto; Naruto Mito Uzumaki. A fishcake and a maelstrom. Tsunade couldn't help but notice that it suited both sides of her genes - she recognised her own mother's name too. She had taken the girl for her postnatal checks then, and now she was staring at the tiny baby in the incubator in front of her – the girl was over a month early.

She should have been born in late October, but it was the 5th of September. She was bigger than most early newborns of the same age, and had a right set of lungs, but letting her leave the hospital just yet wouldn't be a good idea. Sighing to herself, she released the breaks on the portable incubator and started wheeling it back towards the room where Kushina lay recovering.

She still didn't know what she was going to do regarding Minato or the rest of her family; part of her was screaming that Kushina had been an idiot for hiding this, but another part knew just how right she was about her son not being capable of handling a baby. He had his head in the clouds most of the day, he was utterly oblivious to the hardships of parenting, and much as she hated to admit it, he wasn't going to change that any time soon.

She wasn't really planning on leaving the job to himself, but even with help from she and Jiraiya, it would still be more than he was mentally prepared for. He was a mature kid, but he was still a complete and utter dreamer. But still, the idea of keeping this from him... was not a pleasant one. It was much unpleasant actually. This girl was family, and you didn't abandon family, no matter what the circumstances.

She pushed open the door to the hospital room, and stepped inside with the incubator. It was only when she caught sight of the rumpled sheets and note on the pillow that she realised there was no one occupying it. She snatched the note from the pillow, unfolding it and quickly scanning the neat handwriting.

_Mrs. Namikaze,_

_I know that this is absolutely despicable, but I'm asking you one more favour as a patient; please find a place for her. I can't do it, I can't raise her. I want to, but I can't – I'm a coward. I trust you, so please make sure she's somewhere safe... and Please, please, don't let him find out about her. In the future, maybe it would be better to tell him, but not yet._

_I'm sorry for all the problems I've caused you in the past few hours._  
_Kushina. _

* * *

The hotel was a clean, well kept building, and the couple who ran it seemed nice. That was why she chose it; it was almost midnight, but the light in the reception were still on, and she had booked the room. Now she was sitting on the edge of a bed, phone in one hand as she came up with a crackpot excuse for her husband as to why she wouldn't be home for a while.

"Two weeks? Tsunade why don't you just come back home? Sarutobi's isn't that far away!"_ her husband complained when she informed him of just how long she would be absent._

In truth she would probably be gone more than two weeks; the two weeks were going to be enough for Naruto to get up to a weight and size that would be better for her health in the long run at the hospital, but after that she didn't know what she was going to do. Her best bet would be to find a care home of some kind, but some of them were dodgy.

"That's a lie and you know it! The districts couldn't be further apart – it's easier just to stay at a hotel while I help out here with the new interns."

Jiraiya sighed in irritation on the other end of the phone, and she couldn't help but wish he would get off the phone so she could let out one of her own. What on earth was Kushina thinking? She had expected some reservations about this whole mess, but just abandoning her daughter like that? Tsunade didn't claim to know Kushina very well – she had only met the woman at Minato and Yahiko's parents' evenings and in passing – but she was pretty sure she wasn't the type who would enjoy doing something like this!

_"Tsunade, Minato's not doing great and you know it – ever since that Kushina woman left he's been like the grey in the rocks. He completely snapped tonight! I knew they were close but... I assume you already know about this?"_

Oh how she hated the irony of it all. Here she was holed up in a hotel on the other side of the huge bustling city of Konoha, stewing over what she was supposed to do with the granddaughter that had been rather abruptly placed in her hands, and her son had picked the time to finally have his emotional breakdown about the mother of the daughter he didn't even know he had.

"I had an inkling... Was it that bad?"  
_"I think he's broken his guitar. I heard the string snapping before I intervened, and he's definitely going to need a new desk chair. I forced some sake down his throat and he's been out like a dead log ever since. Sarutobi's picked a fine time to take on extra interns..."_

The guitar? He wouldn't even let Jiraiya touch that thing! It had been the only reason he had applied for his first job, and had taken him months to save up for! It was his...

Tsunade stopped that thought immediately. Minato loved that guitar more than his own arm – it must have taken a great deal of anger for him to break that.

_"Is it really going to take that long? This sort of things needs a softer hand, and I don't have that..."_  
"I'm sorry Jiraiya, but I can't. The hospital is completely swamped, and we need the extra pay after the plumbing burst anyway..."

Jiraiya grumbled for a few minuets, but buy the time he hung up, Tsunade knew the wool was thickly covering his eyes. Now all she had to do was find a way to deal with this situation; she couldn't tell Minato at Kushina's non-requisitional request (stupid oath), but she couldn't completely abandon her own granddaughter.

But that was the decision she was faced with wasn't it? Find a nice care home for Naruto and do her best to look out for her with the inheritance from her grandparents, or take her home whilst Minato was having an emotional breakdown and hope it would all work out.

Her eyes skimmed back to the note Kushina had left her with and she buried her head in her hands; what was that woman thinking? what on earth made her think she couldn't look after her daughter? seeing Minato in her? Bullshit! she could tell that was an absolute lie!

Kushina had another reason for leaving Naruto with her, but she couldn't even begin to imagine what that reason could be.

* * *

Tsunade pulled her car up a street away from the orphanage and sat there for a long time before exiting it; she dint want to do this. she did not want to leave her granddaughter in the hands of strangers, in the care of the government, but Kushina had asked her, and her own maternal senses were screaming that the woman had the right idea.

Besides, it wasn't like it would be permanent would it? she'd tell Minato when he was older, more responsible, capable of looking after a child; he would be mad at her, she knew that, but she didn't mind that so much as she wanted both her son and her granddaughter to have as normal an upbringing as possible.

It was 4am, and it was a freezing October 10th morning, but she had made sure there was something for the girl. There was the hotel receipt with her name on, and her own family heirloom in the box with her, and she had set up an account for the girl with some of the money from her overtime and family savings.

That would see for future expenses and making sure she had enough money to afford the healthcare at Konoha General instead of Sarutobi's. That left her breathing a little easier.

She didn't dare leave the girl's real birth certificate, but she couldn't get rid of it either; it wasn't like this was going to be forever though, so she just had to keep it out of the way until Minato was older. She knew how to hide things from her husband better than he knew how to hide his porn magazines after all.

She still didn't like this though; she didn't want to leave the tiny girl in the care of complete strangers when she and Jirayia, if not her son, were both perfectly capable of raising her themselves.

But... Kushina had sworn her in on keeping the existence of her granddaughter a secret, and there wasn't much she could do to argue that – it was her oath! In the light of that – and the obvious truth to Kushina's thoughts on Minato's reaction – this was the best she could do.

She stared at the lightly snoring month old baby in the box on the passenger seat beside her for a few moments before unbuckling her seatbelt; she had done what she could to make sure Naruto was going to grow up in a decent place, and had given her the most support she could with the time she had managed to get.

Besides, it wasn't going to be permanent; that thought plagued her mind as she carefully placed the old ramen box on the doorstep of the care home and headed back to her car.

_

* * *

_

__

_**Took me a while to write this chapter. I kept changing what to put in it and the order of events. I kept having brainwaives for later plot development, and I had to rearrange things so the timings were all right. I'm a stickler for timings, even if no-one else picks them out and sends me messages goi 'err... how does that work to that? Isn't that sudden?'. **_

_**I put the timing in as very subtle mentions, so I get quite a few of those... I can't write them in obviously though, or there's no surprises! It's an eternal paradox! Or is it an oxymoron? I can't remember the exact word – here I passed higher english and I still can't tell the difference between a paradox and an oxymoron. I'm ashamed... T_T;**_

_**I don't know if anyone's noticed the change in character name on the info section, but there is an actual character for FemNaru now! A Nauruko Uzumaki section! Someone told me in a revied for Blurred Sound, and I actually squealed and danced after I checked to make sure!**_

_**I'm not going to change the character name in these since I don't want to loose the essence of Naruto's charecter, nor the connotations of the name, but I've moved all my FemNaru stories under this category now.**_

_**There were only a few Indonesian ones before, so fellow Naruko writers, I pass on the message; add your stories to this category!  
Okie dokey. I'm done. **_

_**The quote is **_**'Secrets'**_**by One Republic.  
Hope you all liked the chapter.  
**__**Nat.  
xxx**_


	9. Minato & Naruto, Sasuke & Tamamo

**THE DICHOTOMY OF ****FAMILY AND GENETICS**

* * *

Naruto never though much about her own family; then she got one whether it was wanted or not. All of a sudden, she finds herself missing what she had never had, and what she had never missed, before. SasuNaru (FemNaru), slight GaaSaku, ShikaIno, KakaRin, JiraTsu, MinaKushi, & YahiKonan.

* * *

**CHAPTER IX  
~ MINATO & NARUTO, SASUKE & TAMAMO ~**

* * *

_I'm going to watch you shine; I'm going to watch you grow.  
I'm Going to paint a sign so you'll always know,  
As long as one and one is two,  
There could never be a father that  
loved his daughter more than I love you._

* * *

Tsunade hated working on the abortion ward; it was one of the depressing parts of her job, and every time she picked up the appointment sheets, it was the start of a bad day. Today promised to be no different.

She passed through the job, only bothering to glance at the names on her list when it was time for the patients to be called through. She always found it was easier that way. It kept things more clinical, and made her less likely to offer her true opinion if one of the patients asked her.

She wasn't supposed to give it after all, simply make sure people knew their options, and she hardly wanted to get on the chief's bad side when she had just taken on the job only a few months ago.

She had gone to St. Tobirama's after Sarutobi's had been knocked down, and had recently taken on the job as head of obstetrics besides her midwifery job. Minato worked here too, so that was another reason for accepting the job – she hardly saw him at home now that he had moved to the other side of the city.

"Tsunade, just a reminder to let you know the 1:30 appointment has been changed to 2:00; Fuu messed up the books again..." one of the nurses told her as she headed for the nurses station to gather up the next load of patient files.

"Thanks Yugito..." she replied absently, flicking through the appointment file for the patient Yugito had just mentioned.

It was already 1:30, so they would be arriving any time now; it would be best to get a head up on the exact circumstances as best she could; opening the file, she scanned her eyes over the relevant information, and felt her hear skip several beats when her eyes settled on the name printed on the top sheet.

"Tsunade? Are you alright?"

Tsunade jerked her attention back to the nurse behind the desk and let out a grin.  
"I'm fine Yugito; I'm just hungry is all. I haven't had anything since this morning" she lied.

The woman gave her a light scolding about skipping meals, but she ignored her; she was too preoccupied by the sudden fear that had inundated her. It couldn't be her. It couldn't be her - she was just reacting to the name.

Konoha was a huge city, and people came from all over fire country to get access to the doctors at Konoha General. Just because it was the same name didn't mean her next patient was her granddaughter - Uzumaki was a fairly common surname after all. It would have been different if her name was Namikaze, but it wasn't. She didn't believe her own assurances though.

Flicking through the folder, she looked for the twin doctor abortion-approval slips (and found them), a few prescriptions, but nothing that indicated any health problems; then she found the photocopy of the birth certificate; it had her date of birth as October 10th, and the spaces for her parents names were blank - there was a note on the back informing her of her living circumstances.

It still didn't mean it was her though... it didn't! Tsunade slammed the folder shut and headed back to the consult room to get things set up, if only to distract her mind from the situation in front of her. 2:00 came all too quickly, and she headed towards the waiting area with lead dread in her stomach.

_'Please don't be her... Please just let it be a coincidence...' she begged before turning the corner and scanning her eyes across the waiting room; her heart sank when she saw the redhead in the yellow coat and the blue hat staring frozen at her feet._

Oh, this was... This wasn't right. She didn't mean being faced with the situation herself, but the one that had her granddaughter frozen in her seat like a rock. Her face, those familiar eyes, were set into iron determination, but her knuckles were white from the grip on her coat hem.

She was so much like her mother and she didn't even know it.

Tsunade could tell straight away that the boyfriend - whoever he may be - didn't have a clue she was even here. She had seen that expression too many times to mistake it. She didn't want the tiny formation of genes slowly growing inside her, but she was terrified.

Tsunade had seen quite a few girls of her age coming into the abortion clinic, and many of them had come in with that look on their faces. Now she had to look at it on her granddaughter face. She didn't know which was worse, who was in the situation, or the situation itself.

Taking a deep breath of composure, she stepped out in front of the seats.

"Naruto Uzumaki?"

Her head shot up, and any lingering hope that it was not her granddaughter sitting a few meters away from her was shattered as she stared into the eyes of both her granddaughter and her son.

* * *

"Naruto, jut take deep breaths okay? They'll help you calm down..."

Tsunade was crouched in front of the girl in the hallway, in front of the bench she was sitting on; the girl had only been in the room for twenty minuets as she explained the process before she started hyperventilating and had bolted for the door.

"I... don't want it though! I don't _need_ any family! I don't... I just wanted to... I don't _want_ it!"

Naruto bent her head over her knees, finally following her instructions and breathing in long gulps of air; she was seated on one of the benches in the hallway; head leant over onto her knees.

The words _'I don't need family'_ hit her like an arrow through the chest; what on earth had she done? This girl in front of her had not grown up like she had hoped; how on earth had she thought that living in social care would have been a normal up-bringing?

That wasn't normal at all - normal was being with family, no matter how old they were or were not; she should have ignored Kushina, and just taken the girl home with her. Time had passed since that utter shocking night, month, and she had no doubt now that Minato would have been capable of looking after her, especially with help from herself and his father.

He had gone into paediatrics! About two months after crashing, he had bluntly told them at the breakfast table he was going to be a paediatrician - her _head-in-the-clouds_ son, a children's doctor! She had wondered if he was psychic considering the timing of his decision, and had passed it off as a phase but...

She had over heard a conversation he had held with his brother, and the subject had been enough to bring the guilt swimming to the surface so much even Jiraiya noticed something was off for a few days: _'I like kids Yahiko, but I liked Kushina too much, so if I can't have them, the next best thing is to look after them instead...'._

"It's alright, there nothing shameful about reacting like this; if you want to come back, your welcome to, but... if you want to take another option, that's fine too" she informed the panicked girl in front of her; it seemed to calm her down a little, but she still needed to breath better.

The sound of footsteps approaching was dim on her ears, but the skid as they stopped a few meters away drew her attention; a dark haired boy was staring at her granddaughter with mixed emotion of anger and confusion on his face, before they disappeared into shock, then worry. Alongside the anger of course.

So that was the boyfriend; didn't seem a very cheerful kid, but who was she to judge? Her suspicions that he didn't know a thing were confirmed, and she wondered how many more blasts from the past were going to stab her today. The boy didn't look like he knew what he was supposed to be doing; leave them to it or approach? She solved the dilemma for him.

"Looks like you have the neighbourhood watch out for you; go home, and get some rest. If you need anything else feel free to come back," she said soothingly, nodding her head in his direction.

Naruto raised her head, glanced in the direction she had just indicated, and jerked in her seat at the sight of the boy standing a few meters away from them, blinking in disbelief before biting her lip. Tsunade fought down the urge to do more to calm her down; a hug from a complete stranger wasn't really what Naruto needed right now.

"Well, I've got work to do, and you look to be in safe hands; take care of yourself kid" she informed the red-head, standing up and straightening out her trouser suit and lab coat.

She felt her eyes lingering on her back for a few long moments as she headed back down the hallway, before the sound of short footsteps and someone taking a seat reached her ears; rounding a corner, she stopped and listened to the conversation between the two teenagers.

"How did you find me?"  
"I was worried so I went to your place; some Yugito woman left a message... Why didn't you say something?"

There was an awkward silence and Tsunade decided she didn't need to eavesdrop on the conversation; if Naruto picked another option, and came back to Konoha General, she would worry over her then, keep an eye on her as best she could but if not...

Well, the girl had her own life now, and she had removed both herself and her son from that life. If Naruto didn't come back, it would be like it had the first day she had met her granddaughter – as if it had never happened.

* * *

There was a chill silence in the Namikaze household as Tsunade finished recounting the exact story of how his daughter had appeared, or had not appeared, in his life; his father was completely stunned, his jaws parted and eyes wide as he stared at his mother in shock, but Minato didn't know how to react at all.

The logical part of his mind could see exactly why his mother had kept quiet – she had been under oath, and he had been a pretty ditzy kid. It was the best she could have done on short notice, and she had done pretty well in only a month.

Logic and reason were not big factors on his mind at that moment though; how could she just dictate things like that? Just decide what was best without consulting him on what was a very, _very_, important decision? His mother had no way to know he would have freaked out the way she had imagined!

He would have freaked out a little at first, what kid wouldn't, knowing they were a parent before even reaching the status of a full legal adult, without any sort of warning? He would have adapted to that though! That was why he had gone into paediatrics in the first place! Because he was certain he wouldn't have any kids after Kushina had left!

God, he wasn't just a dad, he was a grandpa too – his daughter had a kid of her own, and that just made him more certain that he would have coped! Naruto, albeit with a shaky start, had done it. She hadn't even understood the proper concept of family when she had found out she was pregnant, but she had taken the whole situation in her stride!

God, Naruto. His daughter. His _daughter_; it staggered his mind almost as much as his mother's actions did. He didn't know what he was supposed to think, do, how he was supposed to react to that... He had always wanted kids, but with Kushina, and no-one else. Now, completely out of the blue, he did.

"There were so many times when I almost told you, every year on her birthday, I came so close to... but I didn't even know if she was still at that orphanage; what good would it have done? She could have been fostered for all I knew..."

"That shouldn't have stopped you..." he muttered, running his hand through his hair, as if the action would calm the storm of anger and confusion whirling around his head – he didn't dare look at his mother right now. He didn't want to do something stupid, and he might just do that if he actually set eyes on her.

"...I _never_ thought I'd see her again, but then I did. I thought... She looks so much like Kushina, I thought that if... I thought you would pick up some things yourself... I think. I don't know... It was never supposed to... I didn't... This is not what I _wanted_; at least trust me when I say that, if nothing else again..."

She did look like Kushina; her face shape, her hair, same last name, they were almost exactly the same; he had even mistaken her for Kushina when he first saw her, almost, but not quite. Sasuke had snapped him out of his gaze, and he had realised he was wrong, that he was just seeing a ghost. Especially when he saw how bright her eyes were.

It had been a shock to find her wandering – well, collapsing – in front of the ICU after waking up, but he had noted the similarities then too – she was just as fiery, impulsive, and stubborn. He hadn't thought for a moment those were his own eyes staring back at him though. She was just one of those people, a stranger with an uncanny resemblance to another. There was a saying that everyone had a twin somewhere in the world, wasn't there?

Gods of fire, what on earth was he supposed to do with all this? This wasn't what he had been expecting today at all, not in the least.

"I don't know what happened to Kushina, she just disappeared. I did search her records though and... She'd been going to general long before I took the job there - I don't think she left because she was pregnant. She was sick... Very sick if I was reading right. I don't think she wanted you to find out..."

Kushina? Sick? Now that she mentioned it, she had looked pretty off for the few months before leaving, but he couldn't really deal with that information now. There was another, far more pressing and immediate matter in front of him.

"Do you still have her birth certificate?" he asked, very quietly.

He needed to see the physical confirmation other than having met the girl himself; he still couldn't quite believe this wasn't some sort of cruel, badly thought out prank. There was the sound of feet on the carpet, moving over to his mothers liquor cabinet, before the sound of keys and a door opening; so that was where his mother kept the safe. No-one in their right mind would go near her sake stash, so it was perfect.

There was the sound of feet again, and he looked up enough the see the slightly-faded pink sheet of stiff paper being held out to him; taking it, he cast a single glance over the 19 year old ink, and then the tiny fraction of doubt was gone. There was his name, plain as day beside Kushina's, and just above Naruto's, her full one; Naruto Mito Uzumaki. Born 5th of September, her weight, and other such birth babble he saw everyday at the hospital.

This... She really was his daughter. If he had been the type to laugh when awkward or took by surprise or even scared, he would have laughed enough to burst his own eardrums. He wasn't though, so he just buried his face further into his hands instead. He didn't know how long he sat there – long enough for his father to start talking to his mother in sharp whispered tones, but he couldn't stand it forever.

Leaving his seat, he headed for the door; he couldn't even think of talking to his parents right now, and Yahiko was no use either. It didn't help that it was almost 12pm. Any of his friends that he could have talked to would be asleep right now. The hospital was the only place he could go at the moment – there were a few patients he could keep an eye on...

It was better than aimlessly wandering the streets and it would help... help him think on... it would help him think.

Naruto had made some tofu for Tamamo, and then disappeared into their room.  
She hadn't moved for three days since then.

Sasuke had gone in a couple of times, and tried to coax some information from her, but she had just pulled her legs up and buried her face in her knees. He'd never seen her like this, even when Tamamo had been sick, and they had been arguing, she hadn't been so... withdrawn.

He wasn't the only one who had noticed either; a glance to the baby monitor beside the phone told him Tamamo was awake again, and he was forced to hang up on Sakura before he could get any of the advice he was looking for. Heading into her room, he found her sitting up blearily, peering through the half-railings of her baby-bed.

It wasn't a cot, but it wasn't a bed either – a crossbreed. She glanced through the bars at her father looking very disgruntled at having woken herself up, and somehow anxious; Tamamo was a smart toddler, and Sasuke didn't believe any of that rubbish about kids being oblivious to what was going on around them.

Maybe she didn't understand the _exact_ mechanics, but when her bubbly mother decided to stop talking for half the week and disappeared, it was obvious that something was wrong. At the very least, Tamamo knew that Mama was sad, and she knew her Papa was worried about it. That was enough really.

"Want _Mama..._" she mumbled as he picked her up; she was fairly insistent, but she didn't begrudge being picked up either.  
"Mama's still sleeping Hellspawn... You'll just have to make do with me again, okay?" he replied heading for the kitchenette.

He cast a glance at the door of the room he shared with Naruto as they passed it, hoping she would suddenly recover from her melancholia, but no such luck. Reaching the kitchen, he began to take drastic measures in getting his daughter a decent night's sleep; he heated some milk up slowly in the microwave (he didn't _dare_ touch the cooker) and then added a bottle-cap and a half of rum to the warm mix.

Tamamo was teething too, so it would probably help with that, or was that rubbing it directly onto the gums? He couldn't remember; he'd seen Naruto do the same thing when the girl had a restless night before though, so that meant it worked... didn't it?

He was usually back late from his job even when he was back early, and Tamamo was usually in bed by the time he got in. He knew how things went in the morning, but restless nights? He'd not encountered very many of those, and the ones he had, Naruto had always taken over...

In spite of his worries, he travelled back to the sofa and handed the small mug of liquid to the redhead on the sofa. He was certain it was alright to put a little bit of rim in her milk. He didn't know where from, but he was certain a tiny cap-full wasn't going to harm her.

Tamamo drank it quickly, perhaps recognising the procedure, then curled up against him as he leaned back against the arm rest and tried to think of some way to jerk his girlfriend back to reality; it was hard when she wouldn't even tell him what had happened though.

Tamamo fell asleep, slumped against his chest with light snores emerging from her lips, and he didn't disturb her; watching her he began to see every little detail in her, one he usually passed over. Details like how her short red hair stuck up a little at the back like his own, not much but enough, and how much bigger she was since that day he had first met her two years ago, despite still being tiny.

He was only assuming here, but without any actual explanation, the only reason for Naruto's actions that he could come up with was that Minato had completely and utterly rejected her. That, or had told her the flat truth, that he hadn't wanted her if he had known about her.

Looking at his own snoring daughter, he couldn't understand how someone could even contemplate that notion; no, that was a lie. Naruto had almost done the same thing after all, and with good reason, but he still felt pissed off and disgusted on her behalf. Again, this was presuming what had happened, was what he thought had happened.

This didn't seem like the reaction he would have expected if Minato had completely rejected her – Naruto had held off on calling for those reasons, but she wouldn't let them get to her this badly. There was something else at work here; he just didn't know what it was.

Frowning, he reached a hand out onto the coffee table and picked up his mobile, and scrolled through the contacts list; he paused on Itachi's name, before deciding against it, and scrolling down to Obito's instead. He had to try a few times, but Obito eventually picked up the phone.

"Sasuke... If the world isn't ending, get off the phone and lemme sleep..." he groaned.

"It sort of did... Naruto met her dad a few days ago, but... Obito, she hasn't said a word since. She won't move, or do anything. She's shut herself in the bedroom and won't come out... Even Tamamo's noticed; I just had to put rum in some milk for cripes sake! I don't know what to do..."

"Naruto met her dad? Oh yeah, doctor guy... Sasuke why are you calling me? Itachi's better at this stuff than I am... I don't-"  
"Itachi solves things I guess, but he won't get to the root of it..."

He heard a mumbled sigh and a groan before he heard the sound of movement – presumably his brother sitting up in bed to give him full attention rather than his half-sleepy one.

"Start at the beginning then..."

He explained everything he knew about it, including her reluctance to even call the number. It didn't take very long, then Obito asked a few questions about Minato, specifically his behaviour around Naruto that he had seen; he replied as best he could.

"...I think you need to go talk to the guy Sasuke; he doesn't sound like he knew about her, but if the guys a paediatrician, then I don't thing he would have reacted that badly. I mean, I only met him once, but he seemed like a pretty level-headed kind of guy. Something else has her bugged, and he might know what it is..."

And that there was exactly why he had called Obito instead of Itachi; he was a good judge of character. If Obito said the guy was OK after only meeting him briefly, then he wasn't the one at fault. Or at least, not completely at fault.

"Thanks Obito... You have no idea how much that helps" he replied.

There was a grumble from his brother before he hung up; Sasuke dropped the phone back onto the coffee table, and carefully began to shift his sleeping daughter into his arms; what he had in mind was probably futile, given the time of morning it was, but... he couldn't think of anything else. He had tried everything else, and it hadn't worked.

He was desperate. He pulled Tamamo's arms carefully through the sleeves of her coat, then her hat and gloves and another pair of pyjama bottoms, before pulling on his own coat and heading out of the house with a note for Naruto, though she probably wouldn't read it.

If Minato Namikaze was the problem, then he would just have go directly to the source.

* * *

Sasuke handed the taxi driver some notes, and stepped out of the car with his still-snoring daughter in his arms.

The driver had sent suspicious glances in his direction through rear view mirror, especially towards the sleeping toddler in his arms; Sasuke realised he probably looked like some sort of kidnapper, but he could hardly leave her in the flat with Naruto in the state she was. That was just stupid.

The man seemed to relax a little bit when she woke up and asked _'Papa'_ where they were going though, and he ended up chattering away in low whispers when she had fallen asleep again. It was a relief at the time, but as Sasuke walked through the clinical halls of Konoha General's paediatric unit, he wished he'd used the time to come up with something to say.

He didn't even know what had happened; Naruto may have just completely overreacted to something he'd said. She was prone to doing that after all. This was, of course, presuming the man was even there at this time of the morning. It was almost three now, but he really didn't know what else to do.

He caught sight of Fuu at the nurses station, frowning in confusion over two sets of files held in her hands; it wasn't until he waved a hand in front of her face that the let out a squeak of surprise and jerked back to reality.

"Sasuke? What are you doing here at this time of the morning? Is something wrong with Tamamo?" she asked, shooting the delicately snoring toddler in his arms a worried glance.

"No... Is Dr. Namikaze here? I need to talk to him – it's urgent..." he asked, glancing around the hallway in the hopes he might show up from nowhere.

Fuu had a puzzled expression on her faze for a few moments, then her eyes widened in surprise and astonishment.  
"_No way!_ It's really _true?_ I though Yugito-sempai was lying!" she gasped, the folders clattering to the floor as her hands went to her mouth.

That struck several alarm bells in Sasuke's mind; Fuu knew something about what had happened yesterday. He decided he would be best to interrogate her before he went looking for Minato, or went home and called him at his own residence tomorrow. He might be able to get a bit more sense of the whole situation that way...

"Is what true?" he asked.  
"Dr. Namikaze and Tsunade-sensei! He's really Naruto's _dad?_" she blurted in a hushed whisper, seemingly paranoid about being overheard by someone for some reason.

"It's pretty certain... Why? What happened up here yesterday?" he replied, getting to his main goal in the conversation.

Fuu looked around nervously for anyone who may interrupt, before bending over the desk her hand covering her moth to avoid being overheard. Her eyes were still flicking around the reception of the children's floor nervously as she whispered in his ear.

"You don't know? Tsunade-sensei dumped her at an orphanage! Dr. Namikaze didn't even _know_ about it at all! I thought you'd know more than I do, but that's the gist of it... We're not supposed to talk about it though, or Yugito-sempai'll go nuts. 'Not our business' she says, but Naruto gave Tsunade-sensei a huge shiner, so the whole hospital knows about it!" she hissed.

Sasuke froze the moment he heard the few words from Fuu's mouth; lots of little snippets of information that hadn't made sense began to snap into place with dull resounding thuds.

Tsunade had dumped Naruto? She had known about her all this time? Since the first ultrasound?

No, she would have known since Naruto tried to get an abortion! Tsunade knew she had been looking for her family, and she just stood there and watch it gnaw away at her! He couldn't even begin to imagine what that felt like for Naruto, but he could understand her turning nearly catatonic a little more now.

He could feel his hands threatening to shake with anger, but he held it back; he probably wouldn't have been able to do that if he hadn't been carrying his sleepy daughter. After everything that woman had done for them, this was where it all came from? Guilt? How could she just toy with people lives like that? She didn't have the right at all!

It wasn't only Naruto she had wronged here either; how could she hide something like this from her own _son?_ How on earth could she do something like that to her own flesh and blood? If his mother and father had done that to him, and he found out then, he'd be seriously close to killing them! This whole mess was completely...

It was just... It didn't even register with him! You just didn't _do_ things like that to _family!_ He didn't care what reason that woman had, if she had anything plausible at all! She was on his _shit list!_

He knew he wouldn't be able to stay mad at her forever, but that was a long way off. He'd only consider it after Naruto had forgiven her, and that would take years. Naruto wouldn't be able to ignore her though, not if she wanted to get to know her father, so he knew that she would in the end.

That wasn't now though, so he was perfectly free to hate her as much as he wanted to, both personally and on Naruto's behalf.

"Uh... Dr. Namikaze is checking on the kids in the palliative ward at the moment, but you can wait for him in his office; I'll tell him you're there when he comes by for some more charts..." Fuu said, a little wary of the expression on his face.

Sasuke glanced towards her once, muttered his thanks and headed away from the nurses station towards Minato's office.

* * *

Sasuke didn't sit down in the chairs; he didn't think he could sit down when he was this incensed; instead he carefully paced the floor, trying to vent out some of the boiling rage without waking Tamamo.

It didn't work; she stirred in his arms and started up at his fuming face with sleepy eyes. His expression jerked some of the sleep away, and he completely forgot about his anger when she actually looked scared of him. He stopped pacing and sat down on the sofa that Minato kept in his office for napping on when he had a break, mumbling an apology to her as he gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"Want M_ama_..." she mumbled sleepily, already leaning back on his shoulders as sleep began to return.  
"Sorry Hellspawn, you'll have to put up with me for a little longer" he replied as she drifted back into sleep; she should have brought her stroller. She was heavy after carrying her for so long.

Before he could dwell on Tamamo though, the door to the office opened. Minato stepped through the doorway, looking half ready to bolt back through it, and half confused to the core as to why Sasuke was sitting on his couch.

"Sasuke, what are you doing her so late?" he asked, closing the door behind him; he sounded weary. Not physically tired, but more like something very heavy had been pressing on his mind.

"I... I don't really know. I wanted to find some things out, but there's... Can I ask something?" he foundered, not finding the words very well.

Minato flopped onto the sofa beside him with his exhaustion clear in his actions, ran his hand over his face and through his blonde hair, then turned to face him and reply to his question before he could even ask it.

"I didn't have a clue Sasuke; this is... out of the blue moon for me. I thought she looked like Kushina a few times, but I didn't think there was any connection there – I just though she was one of those faces..." he sighed, staring up at the ceiling as he leaned back on the sofa.

Sasuke found himself running his fingers through his daughter's shoulder-length hair, like Naruto was so prone to when she was worried, stressed or thinking and the girl was in close proximity. That at least moved the man completely from his shit list. He didn't think he would have been very calm if he'd gotten another answer. That still left his primary reason for coming though, and he wasn't sure how to broach it.

Now that he was here, he was wondering if asking Minato for help was really his best idea given that he had his own side of the coin to be dealing with. He might have been better calling Itachi after all, or even his own father.

Hell, even calling Iruka – someone who _still_ hated his guts for reasons he couldn't quite fathom - would have been better than this stupid idea. Minato had his own side of things to sort out – he shouldn't have come here at all...

"What is it you wanted to ask Sasuke?"

Sasuke jerked his head towards the man in surprise; he didn't seem to know what he was going to ask, but there was a knowing sort of look on his face at the same time. Like he had expected it or something. It was strange, but there was something reassuring in his calm tone of voice, so he took a deep breath and explained Naruto's reaction.

"...I don't know if coming to you is the best idea I could have had, but I don't know what this is like, and neither does anyone else I could phone, except Sakura, but she's in the capital... Naruto's never been like this before, and I don't know what to say to her... you might though, since this involves you too so..."

Sasuke did something he had never done to anyone except his parents and on occasion to Iruka; he actual ducked his head; he couldn't really form the slight bow properly since he was sitting down and had his arms full of a sleeping toddler, but the gesture was obvious enough.

"Sasuke...!"

He looked up again to stunned eyes from the man beside him; Minato knew him well enough to know how big his pride was. He was certain that he understood just how desperate he was at the moment thanks to that bow of his head.

"...I know you're having major headaches too, but I honestly don't know who else could understand her at the moment; its a part I've never gotten the complete grasp of, but its never... She wouldn't even talk to Tamamo! She won't budge, and I don't know what to do! I know it isn't fair to you but... I can't think of anything else!" he finished, turning away from the man's gaze to look down at his daughter – she was still sleeping despite the slight increase in his tone.

There; he'd said it. He didn't think he'd get an answer form the man, but at least he had tried. He'd just have to find some other way of jerking Naruto out of her near-catatonia. He shifted Tamamo in his arms, jerking his eyes from Minato as he slowly pulled himself back to his feet, trying not to wake her. What on earth had he been thinking?

Why should this man be of any use? He might just make the whole thing worse! Really, worry had made him sleep deprived; he should have had some of that rum that he put in Tamamo's milk for himself. Maybe then he would be thinking rationally but... he got the feeling he would have ended up back here anyway.

"I'm not asking you to suddenly jump for joy or anything like that, I just... I'm seriously out of ideas..." he muttered, turning away from the man and running a frustrated hand through is hair.

He really was being stupid. Naruto would probably kill her father, then seriously maim him and not bother communicating with him for two months at least. He had dragged Tamamo out with him too, and she really needed to be sleeping properly right now. Naruto may have been emotionally stunted, but he was certain she would have seen to her if the situation was dire while he was gone...

"Actually, forget I came – it's not my place to be saying any of this. You have your own problems to be dealing with right now. I'm sorry for barging in like this..."

Getting to his feet, Sasuke secured his grip on his slumbering two year old making certain her jacket was tightly secured, and began heading for the door; usually, he wouldn't let his emotions out so blatantly, especially around a man he hardly knew, but the fact was he had a great deal of respect for Minato Namikaze. As far as he was concerned, if it hadn't been for him, Tamamo could have died of pneumonia.

That and Naruto trusted him more than she did the other doctors that Tamamo had seen during the same time-frame. That was probably why he had sought him out after talking with Obito, but it was that respect that let him speak so... frankly to the man. Still didn't mean he was barking up one of many wrong-tree-solutions though.

"Sasuke, wait while I hand these forms in to Fuu for a minuet, you came at the perfect time; I'm not supposed to use patient details personally see, so while I have your address, I can't actually look at it without undermining doctor morals... You don't mind showing me the way, right?"

Sasuke almost fell over; in fact, he had a strong suspicion that had his daughter not been soundly snoring in his arms, he would have been flat on his face.

* * *

The trip back to the flat with Sasuke was to say the least a little bit awkward.

For one thing, Sasuke was so embarrassed about his earlier display that he kept his eyes glued to the window, or on his daughter when she shifted in her sleep. For another... well Sasuke was for all intents and purposes his son-in-law. Sort of...

Was he? Minato wasn't all that certain.

He just knew that the boy was his daughter's boyfriend, his granddaughter's father... How had everything turned so topsy-turvy in just one day? He didn't even know why he was here right now – surely the best way to work this through would be by himself? That was his fear talking he knew, but a healthy dose of fear was a good thing in his opinion.

His mature side told him he was probably doing the right thing by jerking his daughter out of her funk – they were in the same boat after all, just from different ends. Naruto had been denied knowledge of her father (it was easier to think than _'himself'_ at the moment), and he had been completely oblivious to the existence of his daughter.

He still felt like he was going to shit himself as Sasuke opened the door to the flat though.

Stepping in after him, he glanced around the small flat as Sasuke disappeared to put Tamamo... put his granddaughter back to sleep properly. It wasn't a very big flat – the kitchen and living room were only distinguished by the sofa in front of a small table, directly between the kitchen area and the TV, but...

Childish pictures and photographs covered the fridge, held in place with letter magnets, or magnets from visits to notable tourist destinations. Such as the one of Hokage Rock, just outside Konoha. The picture had been taken in the later years of primary school judging by appearances in it; the two young parents were covered in mud and water after falling in one of the mountain streams on the mountain.

Beside it a picture of Tamamo at the most recent Christmas (looking very proud of herself next to her snow covered father) and another of her in Naruto's arms on what looked like Christmas day. In another picture he vaguely recognised a couple of Naruto's friends – that redhead and the two pink-haired girls, and beside it another group photo that could have been friends of Sasuke.

Then there were pictures Tamamo had drawn, a photo of Naruto and another blonde girl with a little black-haired boy on her shoulders piggyback-style. More of Sasuke's family, some with Tamamo in, some without, though most had Naruto in them at various stages in her life.

Then he felt a twinge of jealousy, and a larger twinge of anger; he should be in those photos, even if Kushina wasn't.

He was broken from his musings by the creak of a door opening behind him, then a sucked-in breath of surprise. He knew it was Naruto before turning around. She was standing in the doorway of what was probably a bathroom if the tiles were anything to go by, a very crumpled not in one clenched hand.

She stared at him, almost afraid. He couldn't help but feel the same way – he'd come here, but he didn't know what else to do. What was he supposed to say? She had clearly woken up some, but that didn't mean the conversation was going to flow just like that. What the hell was he supposed to say now that he was facing her?

"I... I'm sorry..."

Minato's head jerked towards her in response to the sudden, and confusing, apology.

"Pardon?"

* * *

"I'm... for yelling like that in the hospital. I shouldn't have snapped like that..." Naruto mumbled, gripping the door frame very tightly with one hand, avoiding her... avoiding Minato's gaze.

She had been jerked awake from her daze by the sudden urge to vomit about half an hour ago, and once recovered, she had been lucid enough to remember she had been out of it for almost the entire week. She'd ignored Sasuke; she'd even ignored her own daughter.

Panicking, she'd darted around the appointment in a frenzy, and found the note from Sasuke. He said he'd gone to the shop for milk, but she knew that was a lie. She'd always bought the larger milk cartons, and there was till some left. Besides, and she knew him better than that. He was freaking out and had gone to find someone who knew how to knock some sense back into her, taking Tamamo with him.

The relief had enough to make her feel queasy, instead of feeling queasy with the guilt.

Seeing her father in front of her made he feel like throwing up again, but... maybe Sasuke had a better idea of the whole parent-issues thing than she really thought. Or maybe he just knew her too well. It was probably the latter, but still. Much as she wanted strangle him, then throw up, he had probably done the right thing.

"It's not your fault; you had every right to be mad... It's a miracle I wasn't yelling either when she..."

She felt the floor vibrate and heard the door behind her creak as Sasuke returned from putting Tamamo back down to sleep; silently thanking the gods for the distraction, she turned to look him in the eye. She was trying to get her apology across – she shouldn't have freaked out like that, not to that level.

She didn't say anything, but he seemed to understand, even if the matter wasn't completely dropped (she could see the slight furrow in his brows). He kissed her on the cheek, squeezed her shoulder, and then headed back into their own bedroom for some sleep of his own.

_'Deal with him for now, sort out the details later'_ was the message he sent, and it was probably the right one to be sending. The door closed behind him, and Naruto turned back to her... father. She brushed her feelings surrounding Tsunade aside for the moment, and let her eyes flicker all over him, burning the familiar face into her mind with the new connotations it held.

She didn't look like him much, not in hair or body structure, but she had dyed her hair once before, and it hadn't looked half bad. Now that she knew there was natural blonde in her blood, she knew why. She had the same eyes as him though, and she got her height genes from him too.

She was pretty tall, even if she wasn't especially strongly built. She had even been taller than Sasuke for a year or so, before he started growing like a weed. She wondered if the iron-stomach came from him too... It must have been a whole minuet before she realised she was staring, and ran to hide in her cupboards, looking for something to do instead of just staring at the man.

Much to her despair he followed, his eye casting a long glance over the pictures stuck to the front of it. Then to the pad of sticky notes she and Sasuke used for leaving messages when they were busier than normal. At the moment, there was a reminder to but tofu fro Tamamo, along with the usual jerkish sappy comment only she could appreciate.

Naruto watched him warily as he took one of the pictures – one of her and Sasuke in the hospital with Tamamo that had been taken by the very man holding it.

"I didn't realise you'd known Sasuke for such a long time..." he murmured, replacing the picture and continuing to glance over the rest of the pictures and baby scribbles.

"I've known him since I was about five years old... I hated his guts for the most part when I was younger, but we were good friends all the same... He's still hanging around, so we must have done something right. I... can't really imagine _not_ having him around. He's like Tamamo... he's my..."

Naruto halted before saying family – was that really what he wanted to hear right now? He shot her a wan smile, and she relaxed a little, but it was still so awkward talking to him. This man, her child's doctor, was her _father_. He had been under her nose all this damn time. What was she supposed to say?

"You love him" Minato suggested quietly, still staring at the photos.  
"Yeah. Shit loads..." Naruto replied, still feeling uneasy in conversation.

It certainly hadn't helped that the last time she had seen him, she'd punched his mother, been swearing, crying her eyes out, and causing general mayhem in his place of work. What a brilliant first impression that must have been. Not that it was a first impression, but it still was as far as their biological relationship went.

"How did you...? I mean, I know Kakashi was looking but... this is..."

Proof. He wanted proof. She was almost offended by that, but she wasn't the only one in shock here, so it was alright really. After asking him to wait for a moment, she crept back into the bedroom (to avoid waking Sasuke – he deserved the rest) and dug the files Kakashi had gathered up for her from the box of issues in her wardrobe.

Heading back to the kitchen units, she silently handed him the files; He flicked through them, and she watched as he read over the pages. She could tell which ones he was reading as he turned the pages and by the expressions; the baby monitor on the counter top set of and Naruto left him to it.

Entering Tamamo's bedroom and noting the splatters of pink and yellow on one wall, Naruto made a mental not to go out and buy some green instead, before going to the cot-bed. Tamamo was sitting up rubbing her sleepy eyes. Realising it was not her father who was coming to check on her, she immediately reached out towards her with her short arms.

Picking the girl up Naruto shushed her back and forth; Tamamo was mumbling in between speech and baby babble, something Naruto knew only happened when she was very shaken or upset. Nothing seemed to be worrying with her, but Naruto knew better. She'd never snapped at Tamamo like that before excluding when the girl was behaving badly, never ignored her for more than a few minuets, never not spoken to her.

She had been so out of whack that it had scared even her two year old. After a few minuets, Tamamo fell back asleep, her arms clamped around her neck. Naruto almost didn't have the heart to disturb her. She managed to unclasp her though, and placed her back in her bed.

If she woke up again, she'd just go to bed with her and keep her with her, but she needed to sleep. It wasn't good for Tamamo to be waking up like this, and the guilt that she was the cause was horrible. Heading back into the kitchen, Minato was on the last pages of the files, the ones about her mother.

He saw her coming and closed the folder, placing it on the counter top. Naruto suddenly felt the awkward coming back with the action, and wished the ground would swallow her whole.

She had no idea what to say to him, and turned back to her cupboards, looking for something to distract herself with; the stock of tomato soup in the fridge was nearly used up. She could make some more. She always made enough for the week since Sasuke and Tamamo devoured it like she and Tamamo devoured ramen. Half the food money went on tomatoes just for it...

No, actually cooking would just be plain rude, but she had to do something. Going to another cupboard, she caught sight of something she could half distract herself with though. She used it all the time when she was trying to avoid Sakura's nosey-but-helpful side, or when she had a fight with Sasuke.

"Um, do you want some ramen?" she asked, holding out one of the many packets of instant noodles that liven in one of the cupboards.

Minato blinked at her several times, his own rattled mind trying to compute what she ad just said, before he laughed. Not just a tiny little laugh, but full gut wrenching laughter that had her stupefied. Had she done something? Was something on her face? What was so funny about ramen?

"I'm sorry... That's not funny it just... Kushina always did that. If she didn't know what to say or do, or she was angry, there was always ramen for her to fall back on... every... every single time..."

All of a sudden he burst into tears. Naruto would not for one moment say she was an expert in understanding people, especially crying people, but there was one thing she did know to be appropriate at that moment. Ignoring the shaking that had flooded her, she stepped forward and gave her father a very wary hug.

She kept her hands at the front of his shirt, trying to respect his privacy despite her attempt at empathy, but when his arms wrapped around her back, she felt her own tear glands going into overdrive. This man was her _father_. Her real-blood family, and he was hugging her.

This was what it felt like to have a parent. Ok, maybe he hadn't raised her, but there was something. She knew there was something. He wouldn't have come all the way here with Sasuke; he wouldn't have started bawling if there wasn't something parent-ish there, would he?

This was nothing like _being_ a parent. In being a parent, it was different. _She_ was the responsible one, the watchful lookout for her daughter. She knew the difference wasn't very big, but it felt immense. It... It was nothing like the family she had created for herself in her friends and in Sasuke's family.

Finally letting the overwhelming emotions win over, she clamped her own arms around her father's back for the first time in her life, and felt no shame in the fact that they were both sniffling like idiots.

After a long moment of respective snivelling and hugging and incoherent mumbling, Minato broke the contact and glanced at the clock on her wall just as the baby monitor went off again. Naruto heard movement on it but no actual crying...

"I suppose that's means I've outstayed my welcome for the time being but... providing there's no objections... I mean..." he frowned thinking about what he wanted to say when the words wouldn't come out.

"I always wanted kids, but I knew that after Kushina disappeared I want going to have them – I've never been interested in other women, and while I think adoption is a brilliant thing, it wasn't what I wanted so... It's why I went into paediatrics, but now... I don't really know how this works, and I know it's sudden but... I'd be very happy if you can fit me in to those pictures one day"

Naruto felt her eyes welling up again and she gave him another, shorter hug in response.

"I'm sorry I punched your mum..." she mumbled groggily.

Gods, she hated crying. It made her go all blotchy and snotty and bleaargh. Sasuke, for some unfathomable reason, found it endearing, but she hated it.

"I... I think it's deserved... I think it's all that kept me from hitting her myself after she explained the whole thing to me..." he muttered half to himself.

Naruto, stiffened a little at the knowledge, and broke away form the embrace.  
"S-She told you?"

She'd never had a chance to ask how she had landed up in the orphanage in the first place – she had been too incensed about the general realisation to ask...

"If you want to come by my office tomorrow afternoon I can explain it to you... There's actually a good ramen take-out just across the street, so if you have time..."

Naruto blinked then nodded.  
"I-I'd have to take Tamamo with me but if that's not a problem I think that would be good..." she replied; she felt her face flushing form the whole awkward mess. A glance up at his face revealed a similar reaction.

"Of course not... Sasuke could come along too if he wants, it saves you from retelling it all and... Well, I want to get to know him properly too so... is 2:30 good?"

Naruto nodded – nether of them were working tomorrow - and after some more awkward stumbling with words, he headed towards the door. After an awkward goodbye, Naruto felt like collapsing onto the floor.

After retrieving Tamamo from her own room (the girl fell asleep again in a matter of seconds after being picked up) Naruto headed to the room she shared with Sasuke. Sorting the pillows out for Tamamo to share her own, she placed the girl down, and stripped her clothes off to her underwear.

Pulling on the thin-strapped vest she used as a pyjama shirt, Naruto crawled in beside her boyfriend. She was surprised when Sasuke stretched an arm out over both herself, and their daughter slumbering between them. She had thought he was sleeping...

"I stayed up just in case..."

Naruto started at the sound of his voice, wondering if he knew what she was thinking again, or was just being informative. There was a tense note in his voice that said he wasn't finished speaking, and what followed was not a surprising set of words, if she was honest.

"...You seriously scared me this time you know, you scared _Tamamo._ She kept asking for you... Please, for the love of fire, don't get like that again Naruto..." he mumbled, shuffling closer under the covers, though taking care not to squash their red-haired daughter.

"I'm sorry... I never thought things would go so badly... I punched Tsunade..." Naruto mumbled, feeling sleep taking over.

She flicked her eyes to the pillows across from her own and caught the tired glimmer of amusement in Sasuke's own. His dark eyes were almost indistinguishable from the darkness surrounding them, but she could still see them.

"I heard – apparently you caused a stir up at the hospital..." he half snickered; Naruto felt queasy at the thought.  
"He wants to talk tomorrow; he said... you're not working right?" Naruto asked, feeling the words stick in her throat.

Sasuke responded by pressing his lips against her own for a brief moment, then tightened the grip of his arm around her; all her remaining anxiety disappeared with the gesture. Naruto knew she'd have to put some overtime in to make up for loosing it so badly, but in spite of that, thing weren't going to fall apart this time around.

She didn't know how things were going to with Minato, but even if they didn't work, it'd still work out. She meant was she said to him about Sasuke – she really couldn't picture life without him any more. She couldn't picture not having Tamamo in her life either.

Even if things went similarly pear shaped as they had with Tsunade, it'd be fine. She'd still have her family, and if she had to choose... it was easy. She didn't know her father that well, nor Tsunade. They were family (so was Sasuke's boss come to think of it) but it was still only blood.

Sasuke and Tamamo were more important. She didn't think things would go pear-shaped with Minato, but she'd be okay even if they did.

* * *

**_Um... _*hides from sharp pointy weapons***

**_Update-no-jutsu? Been a while since I updated this fic; It's a hard one to write without deviating from the style too much, especially since my Heads all full of Angsty Blurred Sound plotline lately. In any case, Sasuke has a bit more of a role in this chapter. He has his part to play next chapter too._**

**_That should be the end of the angsty stuff with Minato though; nothing hut happy fluffy father-daughter moments now. Tsunade is another matter though, and as for Kushina... Well, I don't know if she'll have an exact role in this story much. I have something in mind for an epilouge, but she'll probably just be mentioned as far as the rest of the story goes. I really want to finish this, but I can't guarantee any speed._**

**_Got to be patient with this story, or it doesn't come out right ^^;_**  
**_Quote is _'Father & Daughter'_ by Paul Simon; LONG LIVE THE WILD THORNBERRYS!_**

**_Hope you liked the chapter :)_**  
**_Nat_**  
**_xxx _**


	10. Tsunade & Sasuke

**THE DICHOTOMY OF ****FAMILY AND GENETICS**

* * *

Naruto never though much about her own family; then she got one whether it was wanted or not. All of a sudden, she finds herself missing what she had never had, and what she had never missed, before. SasuNaru (FemNaru), slight GaaSaku, ShikaIno, KakaRin, JiraTsu, MinaKushi, & YahiKonan.

* * *

**CHAPTER X  
~ TSUNADE & SASUKE ~**

* * *

_I've still got sand in my shoes,  
and I can't shake the thought of you.  
I should move on, forget you,  
but why would I would want to?  
I know we said goodbye;  
anything else would have been confused,  
but I want to see you again._

* * *

Despite plans, Naruto was forced to wait another week before she could meet up with her father – a huge crash on the ferry over from the other side of Lake Konoha (the morning they had arranged to meet) meant both hospitals were both struggling to cope with the number of patients.

Her father, being the head of Konoha General Paediatrics, was one of those people who were swamped. Naruto would be lying if she said she wasn't a little disappointed, but if there were injured kids that needed help, then what could she do about it? Minato had already called and asked to rearrange for a time when he wasn't so busy, and she didn't object.

It meant more time with Sasuke and Tamamo, something that had been hard to get recently. They had both taken the week off so she'd have time to go to talk with Minato if things had turned out well (or not), and for Sasuke to look after Tamamo. Now though, it just meant they could have some time to themselves.

And a lie in – Tamamo wasn't an early riser unless she was woken, a trait she had inherited from both her parents, so it mean an extra couple of hours of glorious sleep. Sasuke didn't seem to need it so much though, and took over morning cereal duties while she slept.

Three days into the week, she woke up to one of the worst stenches ever know to her nose; darting into the kitchen, Naruto cast her eyes around the room, searching for whatever horror Sasuke had created in the microwave. All she could see was Sasuke slumped on the sofa shovelling chocolaty rice-puff cereal into his mouth, Tamamo on his lap with a miniature plastic green-flower shaped bowl of her own.

A morning children's program with terrifying alien-like beings eating weird toast (and a giant baby's head for a sun) was blaring on the TV screen. Tamamo didn't look sure about being terrified or fascinated. Naruto, personally, found the so called _'child-friendly'_ programme unnerving.

"What did you _burn?_" she asked, heading over to the cooker and searching for the poor food he had obviously desecrated; Nothing. She moved to the microwave, and yet again found nothing.

"I didn't burn anything... I heated up the last of the soup earlier for Tamamo, but that's it..." Sasuke replied, shovelling some more of his cereal into his mouth, grimacing as a mad hoover-type-thing appeared on the TV screen.

Frowning in surprise, Naruto glanced into the sink and found the used bowl and spoon, along with the empty soup container. She had made that soup over a thousand times already, long before Tamamo had been born, so she knew what is smelled like. The smell that invaded her nostrils was_ not_ the smell of tomato soup.

It was, quite bluntly, exactly like the smell of sulphur, or rotten eggs. Naruto quickly backed away from the sink, her hand over her mouth as she willed the nauseous feeling away. It didn't work, and not wanting to face the horrid stench, she darted into the bathroom for the sink there to throw up instead.

After a few moments, she felt Sasuke entering through the doorway; her stomach didn't have enough interest in nausea for it to last for long, but it didn't change the implications. The only time she had ever thrown up was when she first got pregnant. As far as she was concerned... that hadn't changed.

Sasuke plopped her down on the toilet seat, and filled the toothbrush glass with some water and handed it to her, leaning against the door frame as she swallowed. Seriously, this vomiting thing was god-awful.

"You're still on the pill right?" Sasuke asked – he knew exactly what the throwing up meant. Maybe it was jumping the gun when she didn't have the boob-pain or the dizzy spells like she had with Tamamo but... when did she ever get sick?

She'd caught a bad fever as a baby from being left on the doorstep of the orphanage all night (no thanks to_ someone_) and it must have bolstered her immune system or something, because the doctors had always mentioned she had a good one as a kid. A very good one. Colds and bugs simply didn't affect her at all.

She didn't want to jump to conclusions, but unless she had caught something a bit more worrisome than a cold... she didn't know what else it could be.

"Yes..." Naruto replied tentatively; she didn't say she hadn't checked the use-by date on them though.

Concentrating, Naruto first entertained the notion of catching some rare illness or something, and then shook the idea off. Other than the vomiting she felt fine. Instead she considered the list of symptoms that had first clued her in to Tamamo's existence. She had been tired, sick, tired, her boobs had hurt, they had been bigger, and everything stunk like a skunk.

If she thought about it, she had been getting more sleep in the past few days – she had put it down to the whole Minato-and-Tsunade thing, but maybe not. She had just thrown up, and tomato soup was not supposed to smell like that. That left her boobs. She gave them a tentative poke, but she didn't feel anything...

"Sasuke are my boobs bigger?" she asked, feeling it best for an outside opinion; Sasuke had already been giving them a contemplative look so she guessed he was trying to follow the process of rational thought too. It was certainly better than immediate panic...

"A bit... Not much, but now that I take a good look, it is noticeable..." he replied, sinking to the floor, running his hands through his hair.

Damn, that was four out of five. Gong back to the rational-thought thing, she tried to put a date on just when she could have got pregnant. Sasuke had learned his lesson condom wise, but just because he always remembered to use them now didn't mean they were perfect; they'd ripped a couple of times in the past. Even before Tamamo.

"What about your period – you'd have noticed if you missed it right?" Sasuke asked.  
"It's kind of sporadic, so I can't be certain with just that..." Naruto replied after a moment's thought.

Tamamo appeared at the doorway then, peeking around Sasuke's leg in curiosity before tapping across the floor in her bare feet and clambering onto Naruto's lap. She opened her mouth, pointing at her teeth and making an _'Aaaaaaah'_ noise. Naruto realised it was past the usual time she started getting her dressed, and picked up Tamamo's toothbrush.

After covering it in baby-tooth toothpaste and running a little water over it, she handed it to the girl. Tamamo took it and began scrubbing at her tiny teeth with it, occasionally kneeling up to spit the froth into the sink next to them.

"Ok, let's say I _am_ pregnant, when did that happen? Think Sasuke, did you rip the condom or something?" Naruto asked, taking the brush once the two-year-old had had enough and taking over the scrubbing.

She wasn't speaking as if to put the blame on Sasuke; she was just trying to find an answer that would indicate there was no tiny human inside her again. Sasuke however shook his head, running his hand through his fringe again before standing up, and taking hold of Tamamo so she could spit out the last of the toothpaste-foam.

"I don't know, but guessing like this is no good – there is a chance this is just us being paranoid, but... We'd better buy a test just to be certain before doing anything."

He was right – it really should have been her first thought, but she really didn't think it was necessary. Now that the thought was in her mind, she was _certain_ it was unnecessary. He had a point though – they might as well go through the motions properly this time.

Then again, the fact they were both talking about the possibility (certainty), instead of her trying to hide it, was a definite improvement on Tamamo's announcement to the world.

* * *

Seated in their living room, Tamamo seated on the floor quite contentedly with some paper and green crayons, Sasuke was beginning to wonder how Naruto had managed the waiting when she first took the test in the bathroom of his old home.

"Sasuke, trust me when I say staring at it doesn't make it work any faster. Believe me, I've _tried._"

Sasuke scowled at his girlfriend, his eyes flickered back to the white stick in her palm. He'd gone down with her to pick the thing out and while he'd let her pick it out, he had read the back of a few others. He'd never realised how many different ways it was possible to pee on a stick before. In fact, it was somewhat scary.

Alright, he was trying to distract himself from the impending bombshell he knew was coming, so what? He was human wasn't he? Just because he already had one daughter didn't make the possibility (certainty) they were going to have another kid any less daunting.

Naruto glanced down at the white stick in her hand then, and his attention was brought from attempts at distraction to watch her face for her reaction. The falter before she threw it at his forehead was enough of an indicator, but he was more interested in dodging the thing.

"Naruto, that disgusting! You just _peed _on that!" he complained, picking the plastic stick up rather gingerly from the floor before Tamamo could get her hands on it – she was watching in curiosity now.

"Shut up! I should punch you for knocking me up again!" Naruto retorted, crossing her arms rather huffily from her seat beside him, he language degenerating into low swears that were inaudible to their now oldest child.

Her words took a moment to fall into place, and when they did, he glared at the pregnancy test in his hand; he particularly glared at the little pink plus sign that had showed up only moments ago instead of the nice blue minus he had been hoping for (even if neither of them had been expecting it).

All of a sudden Naruto began making strangled noises and tugging on her hair in frustration, before flopping face down onto his chest and letting her swear words be muffled by the contact.

"...stupid stupid test! What the hell are we gonna do? Killer Bee's been really good with Tamamo, but I dunno how he'll take it a second time, and you aren't completely full time yet until your finish training! There isn't enough space here for two kids either! Oh god, what are your parents going to say?" she groaned, voicing some rather well founded concerns.

If this had been the way things had proceeded the first time around, he would have just asked why she would even consider keeping it – even if there wasn't abortion there were other options -but now? The main thoughts in his mind were the same. He didn't even question that there would be another small sproglet in their lives.

He just wondered how they were going to adjust to it.  
In answer to Naruto's questions though...

Sasuke hadn't met Killer Bee more than a handful of times, but the man was one of the most flexible employers he had ever met. He wasn't making assumptions, but he had the distinct feeling the man would just take it in his stride. The man took _everything_ in his stride. Naruto was more or less in charge of the Konoha shop, and she had proven herself capable of doing that even with a two-year old.

Sure, they had a lot of help from his parents then, but the sales there hadn't exactly slipped when they moved in here, and that had been nearly a year ago now. He might yell at her like an over-protective brother of some kind, but Sasuke wasn't certain it wouldn't be as big a problem as she thought.

As for his electricians training, after he finished his current year of it, he'd have the minimum level of certification necessary to work as a proper electrician. He would still be in training, and he'd still be working under Yahiko for the next couple of years, but once this year was over he'd be a fully licensed practitioner.

He already had one license, but it was a sort of rookie rank – once he'd finished this year, he'd have an actual job there. It would be bottom of the pile, but the pay would go up. Yahiko had explained it all to him when he was accepted for the apprenticeship. It would be difficult, especially since Naruto was right about the space, but it wouldn't be impossible. They both had savings if they needed them too.

As for his parents... well his mother would panic worse than Naruto, even if it would be less exuberantly, but once she'd calmed down she would be ecstatic. She glowed with sheer joy every time Tamamo called her _'Grams'._ Obito would just make fun of him; Itachi would probably lecture him then, roll his eyes and poke his forehead. As for his father... he was as bad as his mother.

Fugaku was just terrifyingly good at hiding it; if there was any family Naruto should be worrying about, it should be her own. She had only just introduced herself to Minato as his daughter, and Tsunade was a whole different kettle of fish altogether. One she hadn't even begun to consider yet. _His _family was not the one to be worrying about.

"...I think we'll manage. I mean, at least I didn't find out from your _answering machine_ this time. That's definitely a step in the right direction isn't it?" he replied, running his hand down the hollow of her back in an attempt to calm the muffled swears and inaudible ranting.

"Sasuke, be serious will you?" Naruto demanded, thumping him on the shoulder as she looked up to face him.

"Remember how long it took to get out of your parents house? We've already got Tamamo to worry about Sasuke! Another kid is-"

Sasuke planted his lips on her own – it was the only way to shut her up when she started ranting sometimes. Pulling away, he raised an eyebrow, sarcastically asking for permission to speak again. Naruto glared at him, but she didn't start yakking again either.

"Naruto, if you'll remember, we were 17 then. That was nearly three years ago now, I think we've both matured enough to avoid what happened with Tamamo happening again, and as far as jobs go... I think it'll take some stretching in places, but I really don't think it'll be as bad as you think..." he told her pointedly.

Naruto's grim worry relaxed a little, but her face remained somewhat stony. Apparently he'd have to do better than that if he was going to convince her that while her worry was not completely unfounded, it really wasn't as bad as she was thinking. Things hadn't started well with Tamamo in the first place, and that was hindering her here.

"...I mean, just take a look at Tamamo. She's a happy, healthy kid. Sure, my parents helped out at the start, but... we're good parents. You won't let us be anything less...Except for when she got sick. And when you freaked out about Tsunade, but we haven't made a wrong step with her since. This isn't exactly in the plan, but we'll be fine this time... Sort of."

Naruto remained stony faced for a few moments, before she finally relented, and flopped her head back onto his chest again. He tightened his arms around her, stealing the opportunity to burrow his nose into her hair. It wasn't something he got much opportunity for now. Apart from when they were sleeping or after the activities that had led to Hellspawn II, and it had always been one of his favourite things about her.

Her hair was thick, and always smelled of something other than the flowery or sweet smells Sakura or the other girls he knew used. It was one of the things that attracted him to her in the first place. It was something he couldn't see himself tiring of.

"...it was going to happen sat one point anyway right? It's better now in a way – it means you get to be the mum the others are all jealous of at parents' evenings. Especially with your metabolism; you can brag about how quick you got rid of the pregnancy weight" he joked.

Naruto stiffened for a moment, but instead of moving she wormed her arms around his back.  
"I don't suppose you were going to consult me on this, were you?" she asked – he could hear her internal roll of her eyes in the words and tone.

"I didn't really think I had to... was I wrong?" he asked, turning his eyes towards Tamamo.

She was scribbling away with her box of green crayons; it had been a huge Christmas present from _'Aunty Sak-wa'_ – a whole box of her favourite drawing material in her favourite colour. He knew that Lee had influenced her somewhere – it was the only explanation for her obsession with the colour...

"Not really I guess... I suppose that makes you the sexy, scary daddy who glares at all the boys who start talking to her?" Naruto mumbled, turning her own eyes in the direction of his.

Sasuke's froze; he hadn't once given that matter much thought. Now that Naruto turned his own joke on him though... he decided that Tamamo was never ever going to talk to boys. Ever. Not until she was at least twenty... No. _They_ were nearly twenty, and now Naruto was pregnant _again_. Twenty was _way_ too young. Thirty. Twenty-five at the earliest.

He caught sight of Naruto incredulous look, and realised he'd been thinking out loud when she whacked him on the head. Painfully so. Tamamo blinked when he yelped once, turned her head towards her parents in confusion, before going back to the important matter of green scribbling when she found nothing amiss.

"Sasuke..."

Sasuke glanced back at Naruto as he felt her move; she had moved onto his lap, her fingers pulling with the shorter, more _'fluffy'_ spikes of hair at the nape of his neck, a funny little smile on her face.

"...you get this right? I'm pregnant. The means that there's gonna be another little hellion who calls you _'Papa'_ running around... we're gonna have Hell Spawn II..." she stated,.

The smile on her lips was twitching as she spoke, eventually breaking into a full, almost excited one. Then she started laughing with almost crazy-sounding laughter and hugged him again. H e couldn't help it when he let out a soft smirk of his own and tightened his arms around her waist.

The new feeling of this being a happy event... it was contagious. They hadn't really been able to enjoy the news about Tamamo, even if Naruto had made the right choice in the end (with mere weeks to spare). They had still been apprehensive in spite of it all, but now... it was completely different now. Flipping her over onto the sofa, her rolled up her shirt and leant in closer to her flat stomach.

"You'd better be a boy this time – there are enough crazy women around here already... I'm not saying girls aren't good but... Gods, please try to be a boy okay?" he muttered, only half jokingly, before pressing his lips against the warm skin.

Naruto stared at him in stunned amazement, before collapsing into a fit of laughter again; sitting back up, he wrapped his arms around her neck and joined in. Tamamo stared at her parents in confusion, watching them degenerate into laughter and kisses for a few moments, before going back to her scribbles.

She didn't really get it, but they looked they were having fun or were in a good mood, and so her scribbles were of a much higher priority.

They were green scribbles after all.

* * *

_"You're pregnant again? I thought you'd learnt your lesson already! What happened to Sasuke using condoms now? Jeez, now I've got to change the date of the wedding again! You can't be maid of honour when you're all fat and stuff!"_

Naruto rolled her eyes at Sakura's tone as she held the tone up to her ear with her shoulder and chopped up peppers with the other – another two weeks had passed since the shocking revelation, and Naruto had already found out what her cravings were – Kitsune Udon as before, and red pepper and chilli soup.

Just the merest hint of tomato in anything made her want to vomit; Sasuke was rather heartbroken at first, but she'd allowed him use of the kitchen and taught him how to make the usual soup for himself and Tamamo. She'd done it at a distance though, and miraculously he hadn't destroyed the cooker in the process.

"I thought you weren't going to get married until after you finished Uni?" Naruto asked, taking some chillies out of their supermarket packet and starting to chop those up too (seeds and all), though not without some less-than-helpful suggestions from the two-year-old on her shoulders.

"_Yeah, but I figured why wait? The only reason I was planning to wait was if dad didn't get out of jail – I really want the aisle thing, so I figured if I couldn't get him out... We'll I'd have been pretty bummed for a while right? But it doesn't matter now, cuz he's out of jail... It's not going to be a big thing but I still don't want a fat maid of honour! I was planning on having it in august, but if you're gonna be all fat then hell no... When are you gonna start getting fat?"_

Naruto rolled her eyes at Sakura's perfectionist nature, but she didn't dare interrupt it either. It just wasn't worth the headache. Tamamo – who had been eyeing the chopped vegetables with a curious eye, stretched one hand out towards the pile of red pepper; Naruto chopped a slice of it in half and held it up for her.

They didn't have peppers often, since other veggies were preferred all around, so she was rather curious. After one bite it was gone, and Tamamo's hand stretched out towards the small pile again. Naruto handed her a couple more slices, and mentally added peppers to the permanent veggie list.

"Probably around late April, early March... I've still got to set up a thing for a check up, so I can't be completely certain though... I'm still technically on Tsunade's roster, and I haven't changed it yet" Naruto replied, holding up a larger slice of pepper for her passenger.

"_Urgh! That woman! She wants to be glad I'm not in Konoha right now or I'd do a hell of a lot worse than punch her! I refuse to see why she didn't ignore that... other woman! There are laws that can overrule oaths for stuff like that! Hippocratic oath my ass...! That's no excuse for not getting checked up yet though! Get that Yugito woman to do it, or go to St Tobirama's instead... Better yet, get your Dad to change your doc-"_

"Sakura! I can't get him to do that! I haven't told him yet! The hospitals are still busy from the ferry crash, so I haven't had chance! And don't call him my Dad... It still weirds me out a little..." Naruto interrupted, startling the two-year-old on her shoulders for a moment with the sudden exclamation.

She hadn't seen her... seen Minato since he had visited, but they had spoken on the phone a few times, and he had told her the details of just why she had spent her life in foster care (most awkward phone call ever). She at least understood some of the finer details now, but she still wanted nothing to do with her grandmother.

How the hell was she supposed to talk to the woman when she had barley started getting to know Minato as her father?

"_Oh jeez... Naruto, for god's sake be a man and tell him already! He's going to start asking questions if you don't tell him before you get fat! He's a kiddie doctor! He's probably gonna notice before that!"_

"Sakura, for one thing I'm not a man, and for another, I haven't seen him for three weeks since I went all flunky! He's busy with the-"

"_That's just an excuse and you know it! Your being wimpy again Naruto, and I think the crash victims would have been handled for the majority by now! Your Dad is being a wimpy wuss too!"_

"Sakura! Stop calling him-"_  
"No! He's your Dad – stop being so flunky about it all! I don't care if you a man or a hermaphrodite! Grow a pair of balls or boobs or whatever and go talk to him! Drag him by the ear if you have to!"_

Naruto, who had been frozen in fear despite the fact that Sakura, was at least a thousand miles away on the other side of the country, mumbled as very small reluctant agreement. Really, this wasn't funny – Sakura was going to pommel her if she chickened out. Or sent her annoying texts for weeks on end (the pass on to everyone kind).

"_So, how'd Sasuke's parents take it?"_ Sakura asked.

Naruto relaxed, and eagerly launched into the tale; Fugaku had needed to sit down for air, Itachi had been like a block of stone, Obito had simply fallen into gales of laughter. Especially when Sasuke had turned his mother's scolding around, reminding her that she was the one who came up with the idea to kidnap Tamamo and give them some alone time.

Naruto had never seen Mikoto Uchiha stopped for words before, but it was definitely an amusing moment.

* * *

"I'm sorry I'm late – there's a boy with bad burns from the ferry who crashed last night... He only just came around this afternoon, so things were a bit mad with all the tests..."

Naruto stopped trying to persuade Tamamo to eat her peas, and looked from the kitchen table towards the door Sasuke had just opened on hearing her fathers knock. Immediately, she felt like running out of the room, but Sakura had made her point about growing a pair.

"It's fine – about all you've missed is the tomato explosion Sasuke made trying to cook. I hope you like mixed instant meals, because other than soup that's all we've got, and I'm not faffing with heating it up until that smell is gone..." Naruto grinned, before turning back to Tamamo and indicating the peas once again.

To be frank, the stuffed tomato Sasuke had made wasn't all that bad – the other three had just exploded all over the oven. She had tested it, and it was even safe enough for Tamamo to eat. She had rapidly consumed it, but the peas... despite being green she didn't want anything to do with them today. Naruto knew she was still teething, but she didn't think that was it.

Maybe she was just getting to the terrible two stage. In any case, it was a good distraction when her father joined her at the table, seating himself opposite her, beside Sasuke's seat (he was starting to warm up the micro-meals in the microwave – Naruto cursed him for giving them a little privacy).

"I think I'm familiar with them – I'm not such a good cook myself..." he replied, looking somewhat rueful.

After the call from Sakura, Naruto had gone to the hospital herself, despite the risk of seeing Tsunade, and managed to catch him on a lunch break in the cafeteria. Once past the shell-shock of seeing her in the cafeteria, and some prodding from his work-mates, they'd gone into the hall and she brought up the possibility of coming round for dinner instead of a restaurant or café.

It had been a rather stumbled reply, but he was here now all the same, and seemed much more relaxed than he had the last time he had been here.

He started talking about everything from work (pointedly avoiding Tsunade) to one of the science-fiction comedies on TV. Naruto listed, replied as best she could, and when Sasuke re-joined them with the food she felt much more at ease with him. It helped that he'd already got to know her when she was recovering in the hospital.

It meant he wasn't a total stranger.  
At least she had that from Tsunade, if nothing else.

"...Oh, that reminds me, I have something for you. I don't know if you want it or not but..."

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he reached down to the bag he had left resting against the table leg, opened it, and started riffling through the papers inside for something. Finding it, he pulled it out and handed her a faded piece of paper. On close inspection, her breath hitched in her throat.

It was her birth certificate. Her real one. Not her dumped-on-the-doorstep one, but her real birth certificate. It had her mother's name on it, Minato's, and what appeared to be her full name. Naruto Mito Uzumaki. She didn't know she had a middle name, but apparently she did.

"..Oh! I'm not saying I don't want it! I just thought it'd mean more to you... if you don't want it then that's fine too... uh..."

Her father stopped rambling, and turned back to his micro lasagne, even handing a small portion of it out for Sasuke to give to Tamamo in an attempt to distract himself. Naruto continued to stare at the piece of paper before standing up and going to the dresser on which the phone lived.

Pulling open the drawer she kept Tamamo's govermenty documents in, and a few other important things like phone numbers, she pulled out her own. She had moved it I there when Kakashi had found a possibility that her parents had cared about her at least a little bit.

Pointedly she ripped up the piece of paper with the blank boxes and replaced it with the real one. Then she went back to the table and back to her own micro pizza; she swore she hear Sasuke sniggering at her when she felt her cheeks flushing. Or was it at the matched expression on Minato's face? She wasn't sure. It was probably both.

Once done, Tamamo had an hour to entertain herself in whichever way she chose (providing there was not too much chaos), and she picked a TV programme on weasels for once instead of scribbling. Naruto ended up beside Sasuke (she still wasn't quite up to sitting directly next to her father without freezing up), but she couldn't help laughing when Tamamo jumped up onto his lap to watch the programme.

She had taken a liking to him, likely finding him familiar from her trips to the hospital, but probably because he had been willing to share his food with her. He had been rather shocked, but Naruto soon discovered just why he had chosen paediatrics. Tamamo was a good kid, but she did have her stroppy moments, especially recently.

Her father had tamed her little hell spawn in three minuets flat.

Eventually the hour ended when Tamamo fell asleep on Minato's lap, and Naruto took over. Heading for Tamamo's room with the snoring girl, she was surprised when he knocked on the open door behind her. She looked up from trying to open Tamamo's pyjama drawer (it was stiff) to look at him in surprise.

"I was just... I wondered if you wanted any help since Sasuke was going to follow you..." he started, his eye's straying to the chest of drawers.

Naruto flushed a little and nodded – normally that drawer was easy to open, but not when her arms were full of hell-spawn. One of them was always required to open it at bed time. Naruto was about to reply when Minato crossed the room and yanked on the handle. The drawer opened, and he handed her as set of the many green pyjamas contained within.

Naruto was nervous as she re-dressed her daughter in the green night clothing – she was distinctly aware of the fact that she had yet to tell him that Tamamo wasn't an only child anymore. She had to tell him, but she didn't know how to say it. Not once all night had she found an opportunity to bring it up.

"Are you alright?" he asked as she started laying Tamamo down in her bed.

Tucking the sheets around the red-haired girl, Naruto realised if she was going to tell her father tonight, now was going to be her only chance to do so. Gathering her courage, she replied.

"That depends on your point of view... in all honesty, there was another thing I wanted to tell you tonight... aside from, well..."

Naruto gestured between the gab between them with one hand pointedly, not really having the words to refer to their slowly growing relationship directly. He seemed to forgive her for her unusual speechlessness.

"What was it?"

Naruto gulped, and tried to get the words out. They didn't come. God, this was terrifying. It was one thing telling Iruka about Tamamo, was this overwhelming fear what Sasuke had felt when he told his parents about Tamamo? No, his family was rather logical – apparently it had been a rather civil affair.

Even so, it was terrifying; she couldn't hide it forever though, so she swallows again, took a deep breath, and looked him in the eye for the first real time since he had entered the flat.

"I'm... I'm pregnant again... I didn't want to tell you, but Sakura said I couldn't exactly hide it, and that I was being a wimp, but it's like... I only found out you're... that we're related... a month ago, so it's kind of... huge right? Ah! That's not a pun! I just meant that it was sort of overwhelming to you since-"

He stooped her panicked rambling by covering her mouth with a hand, laughter sneaking from the corner of his grin. After a pause to make sure she wasn't going to ramble some more he pulled his hand away and gave her a firm smile instead of a grin.

"Is it a good thing? You didn't have a panic attack this time?" he asked.

Naruto wondered how he knew about her panic attack when she tried to get an abortion, but decided not to ask. Instead she shook her head and grinned, identically to the ones she had seen him use throughout the evening. Satisfied, he ruffled her hair for a moment before giving her a short quick hug.

"I can't say it isn't... a surprise, because it definitely is, but if you're happy then who am I to say anything? Congratulations!" he mumbled, tightening his arms around her, before letting go.

Naruto started at him for a moment, before gluing her own arms back around his back. She barley reached the top of it, but just like with Sasuke it was... it felt so reassuring and... safe, but it was different at the same time. She felt his fingers running through her hair before reciprocating the action again.

"...just let me come along to one of your sonograms or something? I know Sasuke gets first priority, but I'd..."

He left it hanging but Naruto nodded all the same into his chest. She stood there for a few more moments, enjoying the feeling of being hugged by her father, before embarrassment came flooding back, and she calmly pulled herself away, turning to fiddle with the baby monitor.

"Out of curiosity, are you still going to be going to General for your scans?" Minato asked, a note of serious in his voice; she knew exactly what he meant.

"...I'm not sure. Tsunade is still my doctor so... I was going to get it changed but I don't know if it would be better to go to 's instead. It isn't as good there but... Well, awkward isn't close to the word I'd use..." Naruto replied honestly.

She couldn't exactly hide her extreme dislike of his mother; she didn't quite hate her for the simple reason she had at least taken the time to find a place for her. That was the only saving grace for the woman though, and Naruto was certain she wouldn't be able to stand in the same room as the woman right now, even if she had the self control not to punch her again.

Glancing towards her father apprehensively, she didn't seem to find any sort of insult on his face; understanding mostly. After tucking the sides of Tamamo's covers down, Naruto plugged in her night light (it was a glow-in-the-dark fox she'd found by sheer luck in a sales bin), and headed through the door back to the living room.

Sasuke was suspiciously glued to the programme that followed on from the weasel documentary – some sort of gossip programme regarding two celebrities. Sasuke hated those programmes. She just knew he had been eavesdropping just to the side of the door-frame. She forgave him for it though – she'd probably have done the same.

He feigned surprise when the came back in, and stood up to join her at the door when Minato announced he would best be leaving if he wanted to get a good timed train back to the flat.

Naruto's face was beet red when he ruffled her hair with a grin, telling her to take care of herself until he saw her again. He was about to leave when he turned back to Naruto.

"...I can't blame you for considering St Tobirama's but the gynaecology section there is... Well, I worked there when I was an intern for a while and it wasn't very good. My room-mate works in General's section, so if you can stand that... Well, would you consider staying in General? I'd feel better about keeping an eye out that way... or something... He's a guy so it might be weird, but he's good. Really good... He owes me more than enough favours so-"

"I'd like that... I didn't really want to go to Tobirama's, but... well... uh..."  
"I understand – I'm having a hard time looking her in the eye myself..." Minato replied, almost laughing as Naruto's flushed bright red again.

"This was... good. You should come over to mine next time, or my father's... He keeps bugging me about you, so if anything you'd be helping me shut him up... Just him and my brother, I promise!" he grinned, awkwardly but it was still cheerful.

Naruto looked like she was about to burst from all the red on her face, or cry. Either was as possible as the other. Instead of saying anything she nodded like a toy dog in the back of a car.

After some more awkward, but still good drawn-out goodbyes, the door finally closed; once she had snapped all the burglar locks shut, Naruto stood staring at them for a moment, before flopping down onto the floor, landing on her but with a clop.

"Are you okay? He asked.  
"Th... That was so weird and scary but... I feel all mushy..." Naruto replied somewhat dazedly.

Sasuke contemplated that for a few moments before laughing at her. He regretted it when Naruto's hormones got the best of her mixed emotions and she started crying. He really wasn't good with crying.

* * *

Minato's room-mate turned out to be a man of the same age with red hair named Nagato. He was rather quiet, almost shy at times, but seemed interested to meet them when Sasuke and Naruto turned up for her first ultrasound.

"I couldn't believe it when he told me you know – I honestly thought it was some sort of prank. He was quite fond of them when we were interns... Our supervisor absolutely hated that of course, but they could never catch him at it..." the man conversed, spreading some of the cold gel on Naruto's still flat stomach.

She had just passed the two month stage, so she wasn't showing yet. In fact, it was the exact same time that she had experienced her first ultrasound with Tamamo, eight weeks; in spite of that she had already dug out the jeans with stretchy fabric on the front for future use from his mother's cupboard where they had been in storage. Last time it was five months, and she had been near forced into them.

Future reservations aside, this really was a good thing this time around; Sasuke didn't care that they were still pretty young. It felt good, the way it should have when Tamamo had been in the same stage.

"So that's where you get it from..." he muttered, giving his girlfriend a pointed look, shifting Tamamo on his lap as she chewed on a teething toy. She didn't have many teeth left to grow, about a third, but the irritation was still there.

Naruto ignored him, a sheepish look on her face as Nagato began running the scanning part of the ultrasound machine over the gel, watching the screen carefully. Naruto gripped his hand, biting her lip in anticipation as the black and white images appeared on the screen.

"Well, they're not very big yet, but that's definitely two heartbeats I'm picking up; twins" Nagato informed them, earning two dropped jaws for his words.

"_Again?_ Tamamo was a twin originally too... Is that odd?" Sasuke asked, recovering form the shock first.

Twins. Not one hell spawn. Two hell spawns. He hadn't been expecting _that_ a second time, but maybe it was a good thing? Naruto looked somewhat petrified, but at the same time curious and rather smug.

"Well, a lot of pregnancies start out as twins, but twice in a row isn't common either... It can run in families though; are there any twins in yours? I know Minato isn't a twin..." Nagato asked, digging through Naruto's hospital record to the relevant pages.

"Yeah... my mother's got an identical twin sister in Earth Country, and my brothers are fraternal... I think I was supposed to be a twin, but she had a miscarriage a few month in or something too..." Sasuke replied after a brief moment of thought.

Naruto nodded, already aware of this information herself, but still more interested in the two tiny beings on the screen. He didn't know if it was more out of shock than wonderment, but she looked happy all the same.

"That may be it then – a strong genetic link can be an influence. It says here that you had a miscarriage fairly early on, and you had a few problems during labour with your first pregnancy, so I'm going to prescribe you a couple of extra prenatal vitamins..." Nagato advised, flicking through Naruto's old file before picking up his clipboard and scribbling something down on a slip of paper.

"...They should help you keep your strength up and reduce the risk of another one. They're common at this stage, so take extra care to eat right and avoid stressing yourself out too much. Plenty of rest, that sort of thing. Do you want a photo?" he asked, going to Naruto's new file and writing again before tuning to the screen.

"Please" Naruto replied, still staring at the screen.

She glanced back at the two year old on his lap, and grinned. Naruto held her arms out towards the girl, and of course Tamamo was eager to join her mother on the small bed. Naruto started whispering to the girl, pointing at the screen, then placing Tamamo's small hand on her flat belly once Nagato had wiped the goop off.

He couldn't help but smile at the sight; there was a knock at the door, and Sasuke turned to see a familiar blonde in the doorway. Just not the one he wasn't to see. Thankfully Nagato noted the sudden chilly tension in the room, and hurried outside to speak with Tsunade about whatever she had come for.

"Are you okay by yourself for a moment?" Sasuke asked, once Naruto had recovered from the instant of unwanted surprise of seeing her grandmother.

Naruto stared at him in surprise, almost shock for a moment; something about the expression on his face must have made her relax though, because she nodded, and struck up explaining to Tamamo what being a big sister meant again. Taking that at his cue, he got up from his seat and followed Nagato out of the door.

They weren't far away, and he soon caught up with them. He hung back until Nagato had finished speaking, before heading towards the woman by himself. He could have sworn he hear Nagato mumble _'don't be too mean' _as they passed, but he didn't pay much heed. He wasn't going to punch her, though he very much felt like it.

Her face looked weary on close inspection, but not like she was surprised that he had followed her.  
"Hello Sasuke" she greeted calmly in spite of the obvious tension.

"Cut the pleasantries Tsunade; I wouldn't be talking to you if I didn't have some things to say that you need to listen to..." he replied, not loudly, or in a sudden burst of anger, but in an icy tone accompanied by an equally icy glare.

"In case you hadn't heard, Naruto's pregnant again, so were going to be here quite a bit in the future. The medical care is better, and her Dad wants to get to know her. The last time she was pregnant, she had a miscarriage. It wasn't because she didn't look after herself, it was stress of actually having a blood relative. Family freaks her out, but she's got one now..." he started, not once dropping his glare.

Tsunade remained somewhat grim faced, but she seemed to be listening sincerely.

"... I can't say she's completely at ease around Minato yet, but... she's actually looking forward to this, she's not freaking out now... so in the interests of making sure she doesn't have another one, could you _please_ not do anything to put her on edge? Don't go near her unless either she or Nagato tell you to. You've done enough damage without stressing her out any more..."

Tsunade did look guilty with that last comment, very guilty; the weariness struck him again, and he realised that while she had done a heck of a lot of wrong, it hadn't been for being completely inhumane (in his opinion). She was just been being a parent in way, and he at least understood that.

"...I get it. I understand why did what you did, but it doesn't make it any less wrong, or any less problematic for her. You're her grandmother, and you have been looking out for her in your own screwed up way, but if you want any chance of getting back in her good books, then stay away until she comes to you..." he added.

She perked up a smidgen at that, not much, but it was enough to erase his irrational moment of having guilty conscience – really, why the hell should he be worried about offending her after all she had done? It was the other way around! He'd seen her looking at Naruto, at the ultrasound screen when she came in! She had no right, not when Naruto was right there in front of her!

"...You can go through her files to keep an eye on her, ask Nagato, I don't care what as long as you _stay away _from her right now. If she gets some sort of pregnancy disease that Nagato needs your help to deal with, then fine, but if not... if you go near her, I really will punch you like I want to, and it'll be a lot harder than Naruto did" he finished, still staring at her unrelentingly.

Tsunade said nothing, apparently taking his _'advice' _rather seriously. After a few moments she opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when she caught sight of someone behind him. He heard Tamamo's excited demands for food as Nagato explained the pre-natal vitamins he had prescribed to her mother.

She closed her mouth, glanced once at him, before turning around and walking away, flipping through the pages on the file in her hand. Moments later, Naruto appeared next to him, and he let out a slow breath of pent up anger. He gave her a sloppy one armed hug and kissed her on the forehead.

"What did you say to her?" Naruto asked, almost warily before shushing Tamamo when she made a loud request for food, promising to get something on the way home.

"I gave her some advice. She listened" he replied, hoisting his fussing daughter up onto his shoulders – piggybacks always distracted her. Tamamo fisted her hands on his hair, securing her legs against his chest with an excited giggle. He grasped one with his hand to keep her from falling off.

"Sasuke..."  
"What?" he asked, turning to face his girlfriend.

"Thanks... she really scared me for a second..." Naruto mumbled, staring at her feet as she forced the admission out; she would rather have crawled into a pot of boiling oil than do that a few years ago.

He said nothing, instead linking his fingers with Naruto's, and ushering them in the direction of the pharmacy on the ground floor to pick up the prescriptions. Naruto tightened her fingers once, and then started showing him the pictures of the ultrasound, the brief mar on an otherwise happy event completely forgotten.

* * *

_**Updated :D**_

_**Kudos to anyone who can spot the TV reference in this; I'm afraid Americans will be at a disadvantage, I don't know if it showed in America, but Brits feel free to guess which tv-programme showed up in this. If your a 90's kid like me, you'll probably recognise it ^^ Because you liked it, or because it scarred you for life however... -_-;**_

_**And yes, I planned on Naruto getting preggo again early on. This isn't just for the sake of it - the idiots didn't get a chance to appreciate her first pregnancy, and Tsunade will play her role in a good way with it. She won't be compleetly forgiven but it'll be a start. And yes, twin genetics run in families. Not usually as well as Sasuke's but it isn't unheard of, and alot of pregnancies do start out as twins. But one just disappears at one point - it imaginatively called a **_**'disappearing twin'**_**.**_

_**On a note of shameless story-advertising, got a new comedy-ish fic started called Konoha Boarding School. There's also a series of cosplay videos on YouTube with the same storyline. Ish. Go have a peek at my terrible attempt at humour if you dare.**_

_**Till the next update!**_  
_**Nat.**_  
_**xxx **_


	11. Two Months

**THE DICHOTOMY OF FAMILY AND GENETICS**

* * *

Naruto never though much about her own family; then she got one whether it was wanted or not. All of a sudden, she finds herself missing what she had never had, and what she had never missed, before. SasuNaru (FemNaru), slight GaaSaku, ShikaIno, KakaRin, JiraTsu, MinaKushi, & YahiKonan.

* * *

**CHAPTER XI**  
**~ TWO MONTHS ~**

* * *

_Raise your head up, __lift__ high the load;  
take strength from those that need you.  
Build high the walls, __build__ strong the beams;  
__a__ new life is waiting,  
but danger's no stranger here. _

* * *

Naruto found being awoken from her sleep at just over five months to the clobbering of her insides unpleasant to the say the least. Especially when she was even fatter than she had been last time.

Naruto didn't know if was thanks to Sasuke having a few words with Tsunade, or Mikoto, Fugaku, and her father keeping their hawk-like eyes on her every opportunity they got, or Nagato's prenatal vitamins, but there had been no miscarriages this time around. Even Ino and Kakashi were getting in on the gig. Naruto was slowly beginning to curse Sasuke's twin-filled genetic code.

At least she didn't have to worry about Sakura's wedding. The girl nearly had a meltdown over one of her exam results being five points below a perfect score, and decided that grades were more important than wedding plans. Well, aside for the last month of her best friend's second _'spawning'_, when she would be visiting with Gaara.

Gaara didn't seem to mind; his attitude was to simply turn up, say yes and get on with it once Sakura had decided on the date. He was more worried on making a good impression on Sasori when they came down since they would be staying with him.

That was beside the point though. She had visited her father's family home earlier in the day, and the visit had been nothing less than exhausting. Yahiko was okay, and she was getting along much better with her father now – she had even called him _'Dad'_ a few times – but her grandfather...

She didn't know what she thought of the old goof; on the one hand, he was funny, had an awesome collection of toads and cooked some really good and spicy Iwan food. On the other... he was a complete pervert, and Sasuke was very, _very_ wary of him.

Especially when he started talking about his series of porn novels in the presence of Tamamo's impressionable ears (thank god Yahiko was quick with using his hands as earmuffs).

It had been good to meet the man in spite of those initial teething problems but she was exhausted, and she had work tomorrow too – Killer Bee didn't care a bit as Sasuke had predicted, as long as the books got filled out properly and the shop stayed in the black, he was happy.

Sasori was a perfectionist, so she had given him and Anko the job of looking after the books. As for staying in profit, the shop was doing well without her input. Darui was capable of handling the shop himself for a few months, so she was finishing up tomorrow. She did not want to go in for her last day sleep deprived as well as fat.

The kicks to her gut were all well and good – they were fairly mild – but the kicks directed closer towards her kidneys were damn near vicious in breaking something.

That being said, she couldn't help ginning in enjoyment when she felt the two brats kicking for the first time. After a few moments though, the feeling was replaced with irritation.

"Stop that!" she hissed, prodding first the upper left, then the lower right of her bulge.

She was still only five months along, but the stretchy jeans already needed to be changed in size. One of the many reason she hated Sasuke's twin genetics. Another was the unholy variety of weirdo cravings. One being raw chillies. Admittedly, Naruto had been known to eat raw pepper in a salad, bit it was still weird.

The movement roused Sasuke, and he sat up, blinking sleepily as he glanced at the clock.

"Naruto, it's 3AM... Yahiko's giving me an advancement test today, so this had better be good..."

Naruto glanced at him just as the kicking resumed once again, and her face split into a wide goofy grin. She grabbed his hands and planted one on either side of the bulge, directly over the kicks. His eyes widened for a moment, before he moved closer to her to get a better feel. He pushed up the t-shirt she was using as a sleep shirt now – one of his - and ran his hands over her skin.

"Which one's which?" he asked after a few moment of plain fascination.

They had, only at the last ultrasound, decided to find out what the genders were; Naruto had had a split feeling about it, and she didn't want to go buying baby clothes blind this time. It turned out the split feeling was actually right again; one boy and one girl.

Fraternal twins – Naruto had been rather disappointed that they were not Mono-zygotic, but she had quickly gotten over the minor loss. Sasuke looked terrified at the thought of another girl, but the little boy had put him in a disgustingly good mood for a whole week.

"Hiro is the _nice_ one – the one not kicking so much. I think he's a bit shy. Hellspawn II is the more exuberant one" Naruto replied.

They already knew what the boy was going to be called – Sasuke had stuck with the suggestion he'd picked out when they first started brainstorming for Tamamo's name.

As for the girl... Naruto was still waiting for inspiration to hit. Tamamo and Hiro both had fancy looking names when written properly, so she wanted something just as good.

After a few moments of interaction with their father through her skin, the two brats decided to go back to sleep, and Naruto was finally allowed to resume her own. Or she was once Sasuke had squashed up against her back any way. She supposed it was better than him jumping her though.

She'd found sex was still enjoyable this time after one incident. They'd gone to an Easter egg hunt for Tamamo on the outskirts of Konoha with Ino and Shikamaru; someone had thought it would be fun to give her a set of false rabbit ears like Tamamo's, and to her irritation, Sasuke liked them. He wouldn't let her take the off until Tamamo had been put down for the night...

They'd done dress-up stuff like that before (she had a black and orange corset thing that always made him rather like putty once it was put to use), but he'd never been that enthusiastic about it. She knew what the real lust had sprung from; much to her consternation, Sasuke thought her then barley-showing stomach was actually _sexy_, or a turn on or something.

He was twice as affectionate when the were by themselves, or even when they weren't and it was just things like kisses. She didn't really get how being fat made him more horny than usual, but it was... it was actually really, _really _good, so she kept her opinions to herself for fear of putting him off.

His arm tighten just above the stupid bulge, his nose burrowing into her neck as she fell back asleep again and Naruto soon joined him. The next day, Sasuke was so dizzily smug at work that he forgot to be nervous about his rather important test, and ended up passing with flying colours instead of averaging as he'd be having nightmares of.

* * *

"So... have you thought of a name yet?" Sakura asked, rifling through an aisle of t-shirts.

She had bullied her teacher into giving her a make-up exam at university and once passed to her own satisfaction, she had decided to come down by herself earlier than planned. She had surprised them all by turning up at the end of June. Gaara had tests of his own though, so he would be joining them next month.

They were currently in the middle of a baby clothing shop, hunting through sales bins for new newborn clothes. In hindsight, Naruto shouldn't have given the old ones to charity shops once Tamamo grew out of her own, but they had been taking up space at the time. Now she had to buy new girls' clothes for her second daughter, as well as the ones for her son.

As Shikamaru and his son would say it was _'troublesome'_ (Ino had been very displeased with her boyfriend when Mujiro's first word had emerged from his lips). Especially when she was due to give birth in two months. Moving around was twice as awkward as before, thanks to the double load, so she had been putting it off.

"Yeah... Sasuke had an idea the other night when the fuses shorted out in the lights... I'm keeping it a surprise though." Naruto replied – she didn't really have any problem telling the name for her daughter early, but to do so would mean explaining the origins, and she didn't want to have Sakura squealing over her boyfriend's sappy side.

"You're going with purple again right? What about that one?" Ino asked, pointing to a purple baby-grow with cheery white moons and clouds sewn on the front with silver thread. There were sleep Z's on it too. Naruto quickly snapped it up, adding it to the small pile on her arm.

"Alright, now I just need a jacket... Y'know, I think Sasuke was right about wanting boys; buying clothes for girls is such a headache..." Naruto grumbled as she glanced at the two toddlers walking behind her and in front of Ino.

Tamamo and Mujiro were talking in hushed tones very rapidly, too rapidly for her comfort. Mujiro may have started out as lazy as his father, but since Ino was the one around him most... he was picking up her enthusiasm. Shikamaru worked as a lorry driver for a timber company, so he was sent all over the country quite often.

He could have got a job that more fitted his genius, but it was a well paid job, and all he had to do was drive. With Ino's job and their lack of abandonment issues, Ino and Shikamaru had been in a place of their own twice as long as she and Sasuke had. The only downside was that he wasn't around quite as much.

They argued about that a bit, but Ino had a rule about never going to bed mad at her boyfriend so they usually talked it out fairly quickly. Really, the normality in their relationship made Naruto a little envious. Not that her relationship with Sasuke wasn't normal – she was pregnant again for god sakes – but it had been a much more turbulent road for them, comparatively speaking.

"I wouldn't be so sure; Mujiro can be so picky sometimes it's unreal" Ino muttered, holding up a white jacket with pale purple edging and toggles in the hood and holding it out for inspection.

Naruto quickly added it to the pile and looked around for her daughter, who had disappeared in the few moment it had taken to take the jacket from Ino's hands. She didn't have to look far; apparently, those hushed childish whispers had turned into a childish argument.

Oddly, Tamamo was not the causer for once; instead she was bawling her eyes out as Mujiro tugged on her shoulder-length spiky cadmium hair, and presumable said something mean, half in an understandable language, half in baby talk.

"_Mujiro __Yamanaka__!_ You leave Tama-chan alone or so help me, there'll be no sky-watching with Papii for a week!" Ino yelled, darting away from the rows of baby clothes to control her hair-brained son.

One her hair was free from her playmate's grasp, Tamamo immediately darted over to her mother; Naruto had noted that as soon as she started to show, Tamamo began to get even more attached than she already was. She even had tantrums when Sasuke tried to take over when she was carrying the girl.

Naruto hoped that it was a phase she would pass through once her younger siblings were born; it had really started when picking her up for her usual hugs became a bit difficult. Once the twins were out (Naruto was trying not to dwell on that thought too much), she was hoping the possessive phase would pass once she adjusted to the idea of sharing.

As Ino scolded her son, and Sakura took her wallet and the pile of clothes to get the paying done with (Sakura already knew her pin number by heart), Naruto turned to hoist the girl above her bulge. It was definitely strenuous, but to not do so when she was bawling her eyes out was just... mean. And like any normal mother, she couldn't stand seeing her daughter crying.

"Shhh, you're alright Tamamo – Mujio's pulled your hair before hasn't he? Where's these tears coming from?" she asked – she wasn't downsizing the incident at all, she was just speaking the truth. Tamamo had had her hair pulled by the boy several times in the past, and she'd not batted an eyelid. She was a tough little cookie...

Tamamo said nothing, sniffling into her shoulder instead and tightening her grip with her arms and legs, very much like a koala. Naruto sighed and just gave the girl another squeeze and rubbed circles on her back. She wondered if the two kids had cooked this up somehow – she really wouldn't put it past them, even if they were still a few month's shy of their third birthday.

Ino rejoined them then, with a rather dejected looking Mujiro, his hand held firmly in her own.

"Mujiro, don't you have something you'd like to say to Tama-chan?" she asked, more directionally than inquiringly.

The boy shuffled uncomfortably when Tamamo turned her eyes from Naruto's shoulder and stared warily down at him. For a few moments he said nothing, before looking down guiltily and mumbling a small apology out. Much to Naruto's relief, her sniffling died down a little, and as Sakura returned from the tills, Tamamo was finally willing to unclench her arm and be put down.

"Let's go get something to eat and the head back, you're starting to look a bit pale..." Sakura decided, handing Naruto back her wallet and the new bags of baby clothes.

Naruto nodded, re-pocketing her wallet and taking a grasp of her daughter's small hand; she was beginning to get tired and it was only three in the afternoon.

She probably should have let Sasuke suffer through this like he had been insisting, but she hadn't seen Ino for ages, and Sakura was only here until the end of September. She hadn't wanted to waste the opportunity to spend time with them, and she hadn't planned on taking so long.

Unfortunately, plans didn't always work out the way they were supposed to, something Naruto was all too familiar with; she would have been blind to not notice just how much strength it had taken to comfort her daughter, and how much she had left as they left the shop.

* * *

"I don't understand this; she'd never been so… _possessive_ over you before..." Sasuke muttered, unclasping the arms of his screaming daughter from his girlfriend.

The girl clung on to her mother like an octopus, simply reattaching her arms when both he and Naruto tried to pry her off; he didn't begrudge his daughter affection from her mother, but Naruto couldn't carry Tamamo as much as she used to. Tamamo didn't really understand those doctor orders to avoid strain though, despite Naruto's attempts to explain it.

"Oh god, I give up... I'll just sit on the sofa till she falls asleep or something... Not like I was planning to do anything but sit in bed anyway" Naruto muttered wearily, tightening her arms around Tamamo instead of trying to pry her off.

Tamamo continued to sob and whimper as they both sat down on the sofa, clutching onto her mother furiously. Sighing to himself, Sasuke went to the fridge and poured some of the pre-prepared tomato soup into a large jug, then stuck the jug in the microwave.

The food was not for himself or Tamamo but for Naruto; she could stomach the soup now, and even he could tell just how exhausted she was after that shopping trip earlier. He didn't know how to reprimand Tamamo for this though; she didn't understand what she was doing wrong.

She obviously knew something was changing, but not the what or why, and her only reaction was to become completely possessive of her mother. She even bit him the other day when he tried to hug his own girlfriend (the word girlfriend used only for the sake of terminology).

Sitting down beside Naruto with the bowl once he was done, he found her on the verge of sleep, Tamamo still sniffling.

"Tamamo, sit up so your mother can eat please" Sasuke instructed the little girl, praying to god she would listen; something in his voice – perhaps the tone of it – apparently made her stop, and Sasuke let ought a sigh of relief when she crawled onto his own lap, and he passed the bowl over to Naruto.

Naruto began to wolf the soup down, and Sasuke did not like it; she ate more now, that was normal, but not this eagerly or quickly. She was exhausted, and that really wasn't a good thing. Maybe it was just because it was pretty bad today, but he was still worried about it.

Nagato had told them the same thing Tsunade had when Naruto had been in the hospital before giving birth to Tamamo; her body structure wasn't well suited for childbirth. She had muscle (she'd broken his nose before now with ease) but her general frame had trouble enough with the extra weight.

That had been last time, and with just one baby; she was having two this time. It hadn't been a major concern until recently, but she was getting so tired so quickly lately; he was so paranoid that he'd blackmailed Itachi and Shisui into taking turns to watch her during the day.

It wasn't that he didn't think her capable of looking after herself, but she was too tired. Nagato had said as much at her last check up, and with Tamamo choosing now of all times to enter her brat phase, he was worried. He'd been working extra shifts since Naruto had taken leave from her own job, so he didn't get home early enough to give her a hand like he wanted to.

Hence he'd blackmailed his brothers into babysitting his girlfriend, and by association, their Hellspawn niece. He didn't really have to blackmail them, but he did have some pride left. It wasn't really blackmailing either, and they both seemed to understand. It wasn't everyday either; Yahiko was kind enough to give him Wednesday afternoons and Sundays off, and he knew his mother often dragged Naruto over to his childhood home during the day.

He was still worried though.

Naruto finished the soup, and he took it from her hands before she could protest, slowly easing his now, sleeping daughter onto the sofa; it wasn't just Naruto suffering from this either. Tamamo wasn't really the tantrum kind of girl, and when she did have them, they tired her out.

Unfortunately, everything that was happening was scaring her, and rebelling was the only way she knew how to react to it; Sasuke was dreading her teenage years already.

Never mind _boys_, he was more worried about how her independent streak was going to manifest. He and Naruto both had pretty blatant ones – to think she would escape them without one was impossible by either nature or nurture.

Tamamo woke up, bleary eyed, and scooted closer to her mother as he put the dish in the sink, clamping her arms back on Naruto's neck and mumbling a small apology.

Moments later, she and Naruto were both sound asleep.

* * *

"Do you think it's going to be a problem? I know she's only young but that doesn't mean she can't get jealous. If this keeps up when the twins are born..."

Naruto left her question hanging as she absently watched the TV screen, her mind clearly on their daughter rather than the cookery competition programme she was forcing him to watch (_'for pointers'_). Sasuke couldn't really point fingers when the same thing had been plaguing his own mind.

It was the ninth of July, and his daughter had not calmed her possessive behaviour with Naruto in the slightest. Tamamo was in bed now, but getting her into it had been a task and a half. Naruto had been taking a well-needed nap, and Sasuke had refused to wake her just because Tamamo was throwing another tantrum.

Tamamo had not liked that decision at all, and it was only after some sterner words about letting her mother rest that she stopped kicking up a fuss. It wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't for the need to rearrange the apartment in preparation for the two new arrivals.

Some things were already baby proofed, like the gate by the door for when they left the terrace door open in summer, and the plugs, but not everything was done. He and Naruto had been spending the day fixing up a larger cot and a twin-pram. Naruto shouldn't have been helping, but no-one else had been free, and they really needed to get that finished now.

Naruto was due to pop next month – there would be no time for it then. Tamamo's recent attitude problems had not been helping matters, especially given that Naruto was tiring much more easily recently.

"It's a big change for her; once she figures out that we aren't going to ignore her and she gets used to sharing you she'll calm down... She's had us all to herself so far after all..." he suggested, pulling Naruto closer to him and rest his arms just above the bulge of her stomach.

"I guess..." she mumbled, too sleepily for him to pick up on the level of her belief.

He felt a dull movement from one of the twins – he presumed it was not Hiro since Naruto insisted the boy only kicked when she was hungry – and watched with wary eyes when Naruto's wince turned into a yawn.

She really was getting the brunt of the pregnancy this time around, and it had started much earlier. She had regular check ups with Nagato, but Sasuke had a horrible feeling Naruto wasn't giving her own exhaustion the attention she should be. The fact that she was falling asleep at 8PM was a testament to just how exhausted she was, and she'd already had a nap earlier.

Tamamo certainly wasn't helping, but Sasuke didn't at all blame the girl for wanting to keep her mother to herself. He got very jealous in some circumstances himself. He'd have to talk to Tamamo about keeping that side of her under close guard if it continued in the future. Apparently it had been passed on.

That had been the cause of the argument that resulted in their break-up back in school. Naruto had a lot of close friends, but the ones that had bothered him were the male ones, especially Kiba and Sai. It got to the point that his possessive jealousy had suffocated them, and he began making accusations that really, he had known were completely untrue.

His own jealousy had ended up driving her to the thing he had accused her of in the first place. If Itachi hadn't intervened a few days before she came to visit him that morning, he'd probably have slammed the door in her face. He still didn't like Sai even now, but at least that problem was dealt with.

Naruto let a few soft breaths as she fell asleep, shifting against him as best she could with her swollen form; he frowned at the tired behaviour that permeated even her sleep, and carefully slid his arms underneath her. Carefully to avoid waking her, he stood up and carried her to their bedroom.

He wished there was more he could do to make things easier for her, but short of keeping Tsunade away and making sure he got back from work as early as he could, he couldn't really do much with her stubborn streak. He realised that Naruto's problem was medical – one baby had sent her to unconsciousness for several days, she was having two this time – but he couldn't help worrying.

It wasn't legal yet, probably wouldn't be for several years, but the word girlfriend was just a synonym for wife to him now. He didn't know if things would have gone this way if Tamamo hadn't entered their lives – for one thing Naruto would still be somewhat emotionally stunted in certain matters – but it was fact now.

He felt that gave him the right to get paranoid about her health when it was so obviously not at its best. He wasn't a doctor, so he couldn't help out with that, Tamamo refused most all contact with him unless Naruto said something about _'Playing with Papa'_ for while, and it wasn't like he could give birth for her. Worrying was probably keeping him grounded.

Pushing the door open with his back and headed into the room, and laid Naruto down on the bed. He didn't have to change her into her pyjamas since she was already wearing them. She had taken to pulling on of his shirts that was loose on her expanded form and a pair of boxer shorts at home by the time she'd hit her sixth month.

Sitting down he started rearranging the covers over her, before crossing round to his own side of the bed after watching her face tense up in her sleep, almost like she was wincing at something. Instead of going to sleep himself, he simply followed her under the covers and pulled her close.

Naruto turned, slowly snuggling closer in her sleep. She always did that – ever since they'd first had sex; she always managed to curl up beside him even amidst her light snores. It wasn't as relaxed tonight though, and he noticed another wince on her face as she moved.

He pressed his lips to her forehead, and after making sure the baby monitor was on in case Tamamo woke up, reciprocated the gesture by pulling her slowly closer to him. He didn't know where the sudden anxiety was coming from, but he had a feeling he would be sleeping much that night.

* * *

Despite his attempt at light sleep, Sasuke did fall into total slumber, only to be awoken by Naruto's hand on his shoulder at 3AM. At first he was somewhat disgruntled at the rude awakening, and then he saw her face.

"Finally...What _took_ you so long?" she demanded, only half jokingly.

Beads of sweat were starting to build on her forehead, and the scrunched expression was an indicator that he had been right to be worried. Damn it, he knew she should have been off her feet more but would she listen at all? No, of course she wouldn't. Sure she didn't really do anything strenuous – he hadn't actually let her do anything with the cot but read the instructions to him – but that wasn't the only form of exhaustion.

"Naruto, what's wrong? Talk to me..." he asked, sitting up and brushing her fringe from her eyes just as her discomfort left.  
"What do you think is wrong you idiot?" she asked a little breathlessly, trying to lighten the anxiety a little.

Sasuke frowned, sleep dulling his usual perceptiveness, before his eyes widened. Just in time for Naruto to grit her teeth at the contraction that took over her senses.

"Already? You're sure?" he asked, alarm beginning to set in as his brain connected the dots.  
"Urgh, ow! Yes! I'm pretty damn-"

Naruto cut herself off with a sharp, pained yell. One that lasted far too long. One that confirmed the fear that started clouding his mind. The twins wanted out, and they want out _now_. They were impatient, and had no intention of waiting inside Naruto any longer. And they were early – Naruto was only eight months along. They were four weeks from being due...!

"Ow! Ow! Sasuke don't just _sit_ there!" she hissed, trying to keep her discomfort under control by gritting her teeth.

Sasuke quickly started pulling a pear of sweatpants discarded from earlier on over his boxers. Naruto had pulled herself into a sitting position by the time he was done, but luck seemed to have deserted her when she needed it yet again. As he tried helping her to her feet – remembering everything Shizune had told them – Naruto let out a pained yell, and her waters broke.

At that point, Sasuke felt fear creep into his mind. Not daring to move her, he lowered her back onto the bed, which had thankfully spared from the mess. His mind was blank – he knew that calling an ambulance was best option, but the hospital was on the other side of town. They just wouldn't get here in time and god forbid _he_ would know how to deliver a baby.

He knew very little of the process, and none of it good; he knew that Naruto's doctors didn't like her body structure in terms of giving birth, he knew that Tamamo had rendered her unconscious for almost a week even with good quality medical care, he knew that the twins wanted to arrive now, and there was little chance of any ambulance getting to them in time.

His mind was a blank. In spite of all the precautions, all the time he'd spent worrying and going over this exact scenario in the pre-natal classes, this had never been covered. He had no idea what to do.

"Sasuke... I think-" Naruto broke off, her breath quickening as a contraction seared through her, her fingers digging into his upper arms.

It passed and Sasuke pulled her close, pressing his lips to her forehead, before looking her eye as he spoke – he couldn't loose his head. That was his job now – not to loose his head, and do everything he could to get Naruto through the daunting task that was not too far in the future.

"Naruto, you need to lie down. Moving isn't going to help – I'm going to phone the hospital, and then... We'll... It'll be fine. I promise. It'll all be fine..." he reassured her – he could see the panic threatening to set in already.

He tried not to remember how Itachi interpreted the word _'fine'_ as (_'Freaked-out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional'_) as he held her. Naruto nodded breathlessly until another contraction arrived, and her arms clamped around his shoulders, nails digging into the skin of his back through the shirt he wore to bed.

This was going too fast, much faster than the last time. At least it seemed to be – it had taken hours for Naruto's waters to break last time. Fuu had needed up breaking them for her, and if he remembered correctly, they had started coming in thick and fast after that.

No, this was definitely not good, and they both knew it.

"Sasuke... You have to call her...!" Naruto gasped, relaxing her grip on his shoulders as the contraction passed.

Sasuke stared at her, horrified for a moment before his brain caught up. Tsunade didn't live too far away, and she had exactly the right training. Even if she was at the hospital, she could take the underground, or buses, or even run, and get here a lot faster than an ambulance would. And she would come running.

Naruto had seen her a few times in the past few months, but only at a glance. She wasn't ready to see her again... and yet it was all he could think of. He didn't dare move Naruto now. As if to emphasise her own words and their importance, Naruto screamed as another contraction hit.

"_Sasuke!_"

He didn't need any more convincing; grabbing Naruto's mobile phone from her bedside table, he shifted through the numbers until he found Tsunade's caller Id, pulling Naruto as close as he could with an arm around her shoulders. Naruto had never deleted Tsunade's number, perhaps because she knew she wouldn't stay mad at the woman forever.

Sasuke thanked the gods for it as he hit the call button and put the phone to his ear.

* * *

Tsunade answered on the second ring. Sasuke didn't believe his garbled explanation had gone through entirely, but she had the just, and the business toned _'I'll be there in ten minuets'_ gave more than simple relief. And thank god it did, because all the noise had woken up Tamamo.

Promising to come back, Sasuke headed to Tamamo's room; the toddler was standing behind the rails of her bed, looking scared, with tears streaming her face. Obviously, her mother's pain induced yells had reached her ears. Sasuke was shocked when she didn't insist on her presence instead of his when he lifted her out of her bed.

"Tama made Mama sleepy, and Mama made scary noises, like a big ouch..." the toddler sobbed, clinging around his neck like a koala, just like Naruto.

It took Sasuke several long minuets to convince his daughter that her mother's discomfort was not her fault for being more attached than normal. Even then she still wanted to go to her mother, and it tore at him to tell her no so harshly, but Tamamo couldn't see Naruto at all until everything had passed. So her hugged, promised that her mother would be fine, and put her back in her bed despite her mild protests.

After that, he made three more calls – one to the hospital, one to Sakura, and one to his mother. Sakura, because she was a medical student, and would be a lot more use than anyone else would if Tsunade needed help, and his mother because it was best Tamamo be out of the flat, and he couldn't leave. He refused to leave. As for the hospital, well, that was obvious.

Calls over, he headed back to Naruto. By some miracle her contractions had slowed down, but he wondered if it was simple willpower. He did everything he could remember Fuu had done in the hospital in terms of making her comfortable.

Pillows at her back, plenty of water, and while he knew it wasn't the same as an oxygen mask, he flapped some pages of a paperback at her in hopes it would help with her breathing. The sheer stupidity made her laugh for a moment. Then another contraction came, and she gritted her teeth together in an attempt to keep her discomfort from Tamamo's ears.

Sakura arrived only minuets before Tsunade, and letting her take over for a few moments, Sasuke went back to his daughter, removing her from the bed and keeping her occupied with a jammy chocolate mallow biscuit snack until his mother arrived.

Naruto held her pain back long enough to reassure her, before Tamamo was taken to a much quieter and likely safer address for the night.

Sasuke was glad she was gone, because the night was nothing short of hell.

* * *

"Naruto, you need to push soon – I know this is painful, but we can't wait any longer for the ambulance to get here" Tsunade said softly.

Naruto did not like those words, but she knew them before they left her grandmother's mouth. Sakura sat behind her, helping her sit up and give her some leverage on the pathetic, agonising attempts to push. Sasuke was on her other side, an arm on her back, and his free fingers volunteered for crushing, as if that small action would transfer the tearing pain from her to him.

This was _nothing_ like Tamamo's birth.

They were the same in that she hadn't realised how close her contractions were, but timing had brought the revelation at a much later time than before. It was barley five minuets since Tsunade and Sakura had arrived, two since Mikoto had taken Tamamo away from the chaos, twenty minuets since waking up to searing pain, and she already had to push.

There were a few reassurances about being at home, and with the benefit of past experience, but the same thoughts that Sasuke and Nagato had worried about during her pregnancy were etched on all faces. Faces including her own. Home wasn't where she should be – she should be in a hospital. Nagato had been trying to open her mind to a caesarean, and she knew why.

She didn't have the option now though, and if the twins wanted out, what force on earth was going to stop them? Gritting her teeth as hard as she could, she pushed as hard as she could as soon as she could as the contraction swallowed her.

It was so much worse without the medication. She felt like she was being torn in two. More than ever she understood the concerns that had first been raise by the blond woman in her pyjamas. Her grandmother had her hands on her stomach and was monitoring every little thing that passed, and professional concern marred her young-looking face.

Even as Naruto clenched on Sasuke fingers, forgetting about gritting her teeth and simply screaming as she pushed, she could feel the molecular protest in her hips. It felt too constricted, far too constricted. She could feel every protesting inch as the first born of the twins – she didn't know which – moved closer and close to the world.

By the time the paramedics arrived, she knew she had woken their neighbours, because Sakura had to rush to the knocks at the door several times. It felt more reassuring to have the two extra professionals in the room, but they agreed with Tsunade – she couldn't go to the hospital as she was. She was too close. They would simply have to get her through this as quickly as possible, and then rush her in.

She didn't feel the hurried needle in her arm with a high dose of pain killers, and it didn't seem to work. She was pushing again, and felt every single movement. Her bones were shrieking at her to stop, telling that this was beyond her capabilities without serious damage to her body. She wanted to listen, but if she did... well, she couldn't listen. The twins wanted out.

Sasuke's arms were tight about her waist, a cacophony of reassuring words in her ear. Every time she pushed and screamed in protest, his fingers crush her own and his arm clenched. The reassurance was enough to keep her pain hazy mind form failing her.

She wanted so badly to just collapse, to give up, but that was the very worst thing she could do, and feeling the fearful reassurance beside her kept hold of her attention.

There was another presence that reassured her though, one she would never have expected. Tsunade told her what was happening every second, told her little tricks to make the pain go away - none of which worked, but it gave her something else to focus on.

She tried to distract her with meaningless topics – her grandfathers current attempts to cross breed his favourite poison dart toads, the few scratches of news on her mother that her father's private detective had uncovered, and the few times she did start to slip, her voice was sharp like a whip, bringing her back to the real world.

Finally, the first birth drew to a close. Her throat was hoarse as ripping protest of flesh bone and muscles on the contraction finally gave way to her son's head and shoulders. Tsunade was quick in helping to pull him free, seeing to his needs and clearing his airway as the one of the paramedics took her place.

That was when she realised something had gone wrong – not for her baby. Tsunade's call and Sasuke's, momentary happy mumbles of their only son making his presence known made that impossible. She could hear him fussing, as if starting towards crying, but not quite.

No, Hiro was fine. He was perfect. The thing that had gone wrong was her – there was a flurry of instructions, and the paramedics were too insistent on delivering Hiro's little sister. Naruto felt like all the energy was being sapped from her as she continued to push, heeding the frantic words of the paramedic, and trying to ignore Sasuke's yells in her ear.

Despite her attempts, there was little change, and the faces around her grew darker as her strength slowly and steadily dribbled out of her. Blood. Too much blood. That was why she felt so weak – aside of the protest of her body, it was loosing blood. She had a feeling she knew why, but the second baby, her second daughter, was following her brother. She wouldn't wait...

"_Tsunade! What's going on? Why is she bleeding so much?"  
"The baby tore her – I already made a few incisions to help her along but it wasn't enough. Her body is just too narrow!"  
"We have to get the second baby out of her and get her to the hospital! At this rate she'll..."_

The voices were dull, and Naruto guessed the pain medication was finally kicking in, but it didn't make much of a difference. Screaming had long since died in her throat – the pain was too overwhelming. It was almost an anaesthetic in and of itself. As she pushed again, she felt the loud, agonising protest of her hips, pelvis, and almost every bone in the area immediate to the birth itself.

She felt so weak, but even amidst the haze, she knew that falling unconscious as she had with Tamamo would be the worst thing to do. Sasuke spoke hurriedly in her ear, begging her to stay awake, begging her to push once more over and over, telling her everything was fine even when it was an outright lie.

She couldn't do it though. She felt so weak. Her attempts were more pathetic than her first tries with Tamamo had been, but she simply couldn't do it. Energy was leaving her. She couldn't stop it, and it made her sick to the stomach when she could feel the damp spots of tears form her boyfriend on her sweat soaked neck, and pleading reassuring kisses on her forehead.

"_This isn't good – how much has she already lost?  
"I don't know – she already lost a lot during the first one. She needs more"  
"She needs a hospital is what she needs – we aren't equipped for this! It's obvious that she needs a C-Section!"  
"We can't move her! The minuet you move her it will just get worse! She's too far into labour to be moved!"  
"She needs a transfusion then – we have O in the van, but a match would be better – what blood type is she?"  
"She's B"  
"We don't have any of that – just O. Is anyone here B?"  
"No- I'm AB"  
"I'm O too – I can donate if she needs any more than what you have"_

What was going on? A? B? O? They were talking about blood types. She needed blood? She had lost so much she needed more? That was why she felt so week? The mixture of pain, tears, and the haze of painkillers and disappearing strength made vision difficult, but she could see one of the paramedics rummaging around with the contents of a bag.

"_I'm a match. I'm B. She's my granddaughter – you won't get a better match than that. Hurry up man; we don't have the luxury of time right now!"_

It was so dim and she didn't know if she could feel anything anymore, and then... it stopped being so hazy. The energy that had left her came back, if only by a little. With it came the sensation of pure, unadulterated pain, but it brought her out of her haze, out of the confusion.

"Wh-What's going…? What happened?" she mumbled, her hands clenching the arm around her waist as she tried to push again on command of the paramedics.

The pain was worse, and she let out another scream. Why hadn't she woken up? Why didn't she realise she was approaching labour earlier? Why hadn't there been any signs? Why didn't she notice? Why was this so hard, and so painful, when it was a prelude to something so precious? Something worth the pain?

"_Tsunade, you need to stop - You've gone over the limit!"  
"Shut up Yagura and just keep pumping it into her – I know my limits!"  
"You're being too personal!"  
"Of course I am you fool – she my granddaughter! What else do you expect?"_

"You're loosing blood Naruto – Tsunade is giving you a transfusion, but you have to push _now._ You've lost too much for one transfusion to help much. I _know_ it's hard, that you're in a lot of pain, but you _have _to push Naruto!" Sakura told her, shuffling her into arms beneath hers and forcing her so she was half kneeling.

"The _hell_ you do candy-floss head... " Naruto whimpered just before she had been moved fully.

She felt the pain breaking her - the movement was agony, and for a moment she blacked out. When she woke up she was back on the bed again, the pain was back, and her strength was beginning to fade, and people were yelling frantically, but she had never been clearer headed.

"Naruto you need to push _now!_" Tsunade ordered, her tone leaving no hint as to what might happen if she didn't.

And that was what she did; Sasuke pulled her ratty, sweat-damp auburn fringe from her eyes as she gripped his hand, and pushed. This time there was a new pain, one that she could feel inside her bones themselves. So sharp and deep that she was certain something had broken with the effort that went into the final push.

It was blinding, and she screamed from behind gritted teeth into her boyfriend's shoulder as she finally felt her daughter leave her body. Unlike her brother, her second daughter came into the world screaming as loud as her mother, and yet Naruto barley heard it. She heard sobs of relief from Sasuke and Sakura before flurries of movement surround her, and she was being moved.

She wanted to see her twins, she wanted them so much, especially after all the damn effort it had taken to bring them into the world, but... she couldn't keep her eyes or mind focused on the world. She could only concentrate on how warm Sasuke hand was, and how it had never ever left her own.

The warmth was lulling, and as a loud blaring filled her ears, she let it lull her into sleep.

* * *

Sasuke didn't remember getting to the hospital, or how he ended up in the hospital waiting room. He knew that at some point, he was dragged away by Naruto's father to have his hand wrapped up, and that his baby son and daughter had been whisked away by the man for a very long check up.

All he could think of was how much blood and pain Naruto had endured, and how dangerously close she had been to... to something else that he didn't want to contemplate. He thought Tamamo's birth had been a bad one, but there had been nowhere near as much blood, and she hadn't cried.

His memories of Naruto crying were dim ones, but this birth was branded onto him. It had started so quickly that he thought it would be over with quickly, but the opposite had happened. Despite being early, smaller, giving birth dad been much more complicated. Much more _dangerous_.

He remembered worrying about the dangers of childbirth when he was sixteen, and looking things up after Naruto's first ultrasound. He didn't realise how real those dangers were back then. He did now. It seemed innocuous for Naruto's own body to be the problem, despite being told it wasn't suited for such a task. And yet if things had gone any more wrong, it would have killed her.

No one had said it, but he didn't need them to. The frantic worry on Tsunade's face, the guarded panic of the paramedics, Sakura's frozen fear, the screams and tears from Naruto, and most of all the pain induced in them, had said all that needed to be said.

And the blood. He'd never seen so much of it before. It stained his trousers, hands, his t-shirt, and he wouldn't be surprised if it was in his hair. He looked like he had coke from a murder rather than the birth of his children.

The word transfusion had stilled his own for a moment, realising he was absolutely no use. He'd never been more grateful for Tsunade's presence.

Things had been even worse when Naruto blacked out – the paramedics thought kneeling up on her shins would help the process – let gravity do its work again – but the movement itself was too much for her. Sasuke had wondered if they though they could get her onto the stretcher. The question had quickly been answered.

As horrible as it must have been when she woke up to the pain and chaos again, he'd never been more relieved to see her wake up. She had been breathing, that hadn't been a problem at all, but that wasn't the point. He had been dangerously close to seeing her die, and it had terrified him.

His father arrived a few hours after arriving at the hospital, his eldest granddaughter in tow along with a bag of baby clothes picked up from the flat. Tamamo too one look at him, unease in her eyes at the confusion surrounding her, and tears immediately spouted for the both of them.

Sasuke wished he could say something that would reassure her more than the quiet murmurs and self-convincing promises that _'Mama will be fine'_. When she fell asleep, he had the first chance in a long time to simply talk to his father. Neither of them were very verbose people, but times such as the one that had swallowed them were what denied accusations of Fugaku Uchiha being a detached father.

He told Sasuke about his own birth, and the difficulties his mother had had with it. Not the same as Naruto's, but there had still been some cause for concern. The slight empathy helped, and when Tsunade finally appeared along with the bed Naruto was wheeled into the room, his head was settled enough to take the news without panic.

"Well, it was as bad it looked, but she's out of the woods. She'll have to stay her for a month or so to heal properly though. I think the second delivery was too much for her. There's a fracture in her pelvis. And not one to underestimate; any more weight on it might do damage she definitely doesn't need" Tsunade reported wearily.

Sasuke, who had sat down on the chair beside Naruto's bed as soon as she entered, bit his lip. He bit his lip so he wouldn't clench his arm too much on the sleeping bundle in his arms. A fracture. Giving birth had been hard enough on Naruto to damage her bones. He couldn't begin to imagine what that must have been like, despite having seen it for himself.

Her face was pale, and she was still hooked up to a blood bag. She looked awful, and part of him wondered if some self-blame might not be in order. He knew it wasn't, but he couldn't help it. Anyone who had seen that would have a mild amount of spectator guilt.

He was just glad she would be back on her feet at all, that she was alright, that the nightmare he'd been imagining was just that. A horrible nightmare he didn't ever want to see again.

"...Sasuke, I don't think I need to say this, but she _cannot_ do this again. I wouldn't even recommend her having any more children, but... If she does, she will have to have a caesarean. Her body will _not_ cope with labour a second time" she added softly.

Sasuke's eyes widened, and snapped in disbelief towards Tsunade. The news didn't surprise him – they had been told to take the caesarean option by Nagato – but it still shocked him. More kids hadn't really been on the agenda, but he did know that Naruto wanted more. How was she going to react to this?

"...I'll tell her when she wakes up, but I thought it best to tell you now" Tsunade finished, turning to leave the two of them alone for a while.

"I'll tell her. She's just forgiven you – if you tell her, it might go… pear-shaped again" Sasuke replied cautiously, taking his fingers and brushing them over Naruto's still ones.

He couldn't say he would comfortable with Tsunade, but she had been there when Naruto had needed her most. The moment Naruto had told him to call her, she had been forgiven. Perhaps their relationship would not be that of a typical grandparent and grandchild, but she had been forgiven.

She had repaid her more than Sasuke had ever anticipated from her. Not only had she shown up when Naruto needed her most, Sasuke was fairly certain that the riskily high transfusion had saved Naruto's life. He'd seen how much had flowed out of her. He knew that even with the O, there wouldn't have been enough if Tsunade hadn't volunteered her own.

Tsunade said nothing, but he was certain she appreciated the reply. He voice was softer when she spoke again.

"Minato should be done with his checks soon. If there are no problems I can arrange for you to see the twins. They're early, but that's normal... in any case, he said he had something to speak to you about. He left a message but..." she trailed off, without need for explanation.

Sasuke was reluctant to leave Naruto, but he knew she would be a long time waking, and aside from the few moments when a tiny spark of happiness mixed the fear earlier, he hadn't seen either of the twins. Twins. His head was more boggled than it had been when they were told. Twice the fun and double the trouble no doubt.

He wondered who they looked like more – he'd hardly seen them. They had been brought in another ambulance to the hospital than Naruto, and he had only left her when the doctors dragged her away. Glancing at his father, the man nodded once, and silently took his granddaughter from him, not a single jostle to wake her.

One last glance to Naruto, a kiss on her forehead and silent murmur in her ear later, he followed Tsunade out of the door towards the neonatal unit in search of Minato.

* * *

The light burned Naruto's eyelids open.

At first she felt stiff, sore, and wanted to go back to sleep. The she remembered the twins. Or rather, she remembered that she had given birth to them – she had not seen them for long enough to remember anything else of them, and she remembered very little but pain from their birth. A lot of pain at that too.

"Naruto?"

Glancing to the side of the room, Naruto gave a weak grin to her boyfriend; he looked a mess. He hadn't shaved for a while, and dark stubble made the fiercer set to his eyes stand out. Slight shadows indication a lack of sleep hung beneath them like dull curtains, but they were wide with relief.

His shirt was wrinkled – something he would never allow – and there was a small bundle of purple and white in his arms, one that guaranteed his ironing fetish had been the last thing on his mind for some time. Tamamo was by the window, seated at a table and scribbling away on some paper. There was a dual-pram there too, just out of sight of the bright sun and away from light that might be too bright.

"That would be my name" she grinned, slowly inching her self into a more upright position.

Sasuke quickly replaced the little bundle back in the pram, and then moved to help her ease up. Slowly, very slowly, he shifted the bed so it was propped up a little. It proved a much better idea than hoisting herself up. That had left a nasty stinging in her lower regions that she had no desire to re-experience.

"What happened? How long have I been out? Are the twins alright?" she asked.  
"You passed out again and scared me half to death, same as before, and the twins are fine" Sasuke replied, carefully seating himself on the side of the bed and wrapping is arms around her.

His lips pressed against her forehead, then her cheek, before finally landing on her lips in a fervent relief. He felt a little tense – presumably holding back so as not to jostle her – but the moment she pressed her lips back it melted. Pulling away, he leaned his head onto her own, eyes closed as if he had been set on pause.

"I was so scared; I knew you were going to wake up but... It was so much _worse_ this time that I couldn't convince myself that you wouldn't suddenly take a bad turn and… leave me..." he breathed, arms clinging gently around her shoulders again.

"You weren't the only one – I didn't think I'd be able to do it for a while... I don't really remember it, but I know it was bad..."  
"That's the understatement of the week – you needed a blood transfusion, there was... tearing... and you have a fracture in your pelvis. That's a little more than bad I'd say..." Sasuke snorted, half-heartedly trying to lighten the mood.

Naruto had a brief memory of feeling that fracture, and the blood loss, and felt her skin paling at the memory of the pain that had accompanied it all. Sasuke was right – it had been more than a little bad. That fact, of course, begged the last question...

"Sasuke, _how long_ have I been out?" Naruto asked, wondering if she even wanted to know.

"...Almost three weeks now. You woke up a few times, but you weren't really awake, it was more a reaction to the medication changes or when the nursed came by for that sponge bath stuff. I don't think you even noticed" he replied after a moment, all the fear and worry bubbling over his quiet voice.

Naruto absorbed that with a long intake of breath. Three weeks. Her babies were three weeks old. She'd missed almost their entire first month of life. And she had a feeling there was more news she wouldn't like. Sasuke's reluctant tenseness was an indicator there was more he had to say.

"What else?" she asked, resigned to the oncoming dark cloud.

Sasuke hesitated, looking for all the world like he wanted to avoid the subject, or think on how to word it some more, before his sighed and settled for his typical manner. Short and to the point.

"The fracture wasn't just from this birth Naruto. Tsunade thinks it was a miniature one from when Tamamo was born that was enlarged from the stress of this one. Obviously it wasn't noticed, and though healed, it did heal properly and the twins... it was opened up again, badly. Nagato agrees with her and... Well, your body wouldn't stand the stress of labour again because of where the fracture is – next time it might not be a fracture but a complete break..." he said quietly.

"So I can't...?" Naruto trailed off in disbelief.  
"They don't think it's a good idea. At least... not the normal way" Sasuke rephrased.

That... made her feel a little better, but not much. She hadn't given it serious thought, but she would have liked it if she did have more kids. Not a vast number, just a one or two, but... that put damper on the idea. A serious one if the memory of that dim, snapping pain was anything to go by...

She leaned into Sasuke, biting her lip until she had somewhat accepted the revelation. Was she never going to get something so simple without any kind of pain? First with Tamamo, she had nearly given her away because of emotional stunting, and now her own body was betraying her.

She'd always taken a perverse pleasure in her figure. Well, not her boobs – they were pathetic – but he stomach had always been flat, her structure refined enough for natural predisposition to the smaller dress sizes without starving herself. Only now, that same figure had cause such complications that both Tsunade and Nagato were recommending she didn't have any more children, and definitely no more normal births.

"Where are the twins? Is Tamamo alright?" Naruto asked, swallowing the disbelief and grief for another time.

The question quickly caught the attention of her eldest; Tamamo's eyes perked up, and she immediately forgot about her doodles. Darting across the floor, Sasuke quickly snatched her into the air before she could jump and jostle her way onto the bed.

"Tamamo, what did I tell you? Mama's still hurting, so you can't jump around remember?" he reminded.

Tamamo did not droop, but rather nodded and held her hands out, much more careful than she had been seconds ago. Carefully setting her onto the bed, Tamamo threw her stubby arms around her neck, burying her head in her hair and curling into a sated ball beside her.

"Hey sweetheart – I've missed you. Did you look after your Papa for me while I was sleeping?" Naruto asked, smoothing her fingers through Tamamo's soft silky hair.

Tamamo nodded, and curled into a tighter ball of contentment, breaking it long enough to plant a slobbery, but happy kiss on her cheek. Naruto retaliated with a raspberry on her neck, finally drawing a delighted laugh from the girl. There was something... strange about the way Sasuke watched her as she held the girl, perhaps something else she still needed to be informed about?

No – there wasn't really much else to discuss. Things had gone badly, and now she was recovering. It was that simple (in spice of being decidedly not simple). If there was, it could wait. She didn't want any more bad news – she wanted to see her family.n Apparently Sasuke read her mind.

"Alright you little monkey, I think we should introduce your Mama to your brother and sister – come on, you can sit on my chair so no chair-monsters steal it..." he interrupted with a grin, ruffling the short red hair of their daughter's head.

To Naruto's surprise, she didn't complain, or fuss. Rather she laughed at the action, and immediately jumped off the bed, after kissing her on the cheek again. Flicking an eye between father and daughter, she guessed Tamamo had done a lot more bonding with Sasuke in her absence. She was following his every word like they were those of an idol. She'd have to ask Sasuke later, but she was glad he had gotten some time to get closer to their eldest.

Wheeling the pram over to the bed, he slowly lifted out a bundle of blue. Naruto caught a glance of tiny hands yanking towards Sasuke long fringe before the tiny little body was finally in her arms. Her son stared at her in curiosity with wide blue eyes exactly her own, and a pudgy face that didn't match Sasuke's at the same age, a thick mop of jet black hair dusting his head.

Pale pinkish fingers grabbed onto the one she held above his tiny hands in curiosity. Hiro Uzumaki looked much like his father in skin and hair, but that squat little face could only be her own. He was gorgeous, perfect, and worth every ounce of the pain it had taken to introduce him to the world.

She couldn't wait to see if he was like her – active and full of energy and mischief like his older sister – or more like his dad, smart and bookish, and horrendously shy.

"Hiro – this is your mother. You be nice to her, and don't give her any lip. You're better off that way. Trust me" Sasuke grinned, leaning over her shoulder, making a loud whisper to the little boy in his last set of words.

The love in his voice as he spoke to the curious little boy was almost suffocating. Naruto knew he would be excited to have a boy the minuet they knew the genders, but he was absolutely brimming with pride and adoration. For some reason, she got the feeling Sasuke would start practising his poor sports skills for bonding time in the future.

She feigned hurt, and sniffed at the comment until Sasuke kissed her cheek. Then she gave him a tired grin, and turned her gaze to the sleeping baby girl in his arms.

She was curled face to her father's warm chest, thumb pulling at the edge of her moth and drooling slightly, looking as happy a bug in a rug as she slumbered. She had the same hair, same skin, same pudgy face as her brother, and Naruto would bet that their eyes were the same too. There were a few slight differences, ones that gave away femininity, and Naruto grinned, resting her head on Sasuke's shoulder when she sat on the bed beside her.

"You're going to be chasing the boys away from her when she's thirteen, aren't you?" she asked, relaxing into the familiar scent of Sasuke; tomato, a recent addition of talcum powder, burnt something, musky spice, men's deodorant, and the tinge of iron that came from working with fuse boxes all day.

"You have to ask that?" he snorted, slowly exchanging the girl for her older brother.

She woke for only a second, her wide blue eyes regarding her mother carefully, before glancing at Sasuke, and finally deciding she was safe enough in the arms of the strange woman holding her, and promptly going back to sleep. Oh yes, this little one was going to be exactly like Sasuke in the trail of broken hearts she'd leave behind when she was older.

"Hello Tsukiko" Naruto smiled at her youngest daughter.

Tsukiko didn't answer her, but Naruto didn't mind. She was perfectly content meeting her, having her in her arms as she had Hiro.

"How much longer am I going to be in hospital for?" she asked, rubbing her thumb gently over her daughters pudgy cheek.  
"At least another couple of weeks – at least, I think that's what the _doctor_ said. He couldn't give me a straight answer when I saw him last..." Sasuke muttered.

She knew what mutter – it was the mutter that accompanied speech with a person Sasuke vehemently disliked. He used it a lot with Sai even to this day. He occasionally used it with Kiba and Sakura when they irritated him on purpose. Obviously, Sasuke and this new doctor didn't get along so well. Naruto only wondered which of Sasuke's buttons the poor man had unwittingly pressed.

He muttered to himself again before carefully sitting beside her properly on the bed, head leaning onto her shoulder as if he was going to fall asleep. The stubble on his chin scratched her face almost irritably, but ticklish too. A strange mix of pleasant and unpleasant.

It was just like everything else that was going on; it seemed she had paid a price for the two bundles, which were now attracting the curious eyes of their older sister, but it was a good one. Things had no doubt been complicated by the turn of events but there was nothing she could do but work around them now.

Though that being said, there may have been one other piece of good luck she had managed to hold onto in that awful memory of pain tears and unmitigated screaming.

"Sasuke?"  
"Hnnm?" he replied drowsily – apparently he really was falling asleep.  
"Before you take the kids home... or when you do... could you find the old bat for me?"  
"_...Fine_" he grumbled after a reluctant moment of pause.

Naruto snickered at him, and pressed her lips against his sleepy face.

"Thank you"  
"Hnrgh" he snorted – yes, that was definitely a sign of late nights.

Naruto deliberately paused for a few moments, letting him lull back into a half-daydream state.

"Sasuke?"  
"What?" he replied, a tired moan in his voice that she couldn't quite take offence to.  
"I love you" she mumbled.

Sasuke's grouch reply disappeared, and he curled slightly against her, just like Tamamo had only seconds ago, repeating the same words back to her. They stayed like that for a few more minuets before Tamamo's boredom replaced her father on the bed again, and she started regaling to her mother all the details on her new siblings she had missed in slumber.

Later, when the nurses shooed her visitors out on protest – _'visiting hours were over two hours ago!'_- there was a confident reassurance in her that everything had worked out, and would continue to do so.

* * *

**_So... a lot going on this chapter. Not really happy with it... I was half-tempted to commit character-death, but I decided it would be way too cruel and way too much of a cop-out. Makes it an awkward end though. I'll have to extend my chapter numbers now *grumble grumble*_**

_**It is greatly exaggerated, I know. In real life, the paramedics would probably have moved Naruto as soon as they arrived. I did my best to make it plausible though. And yes, it is possible to sleep through contractions. A bit odd, but it can be done. Naruto slept through hers up to a point where it was too late to move her.**_

_**Unfortunately, her body was what cause the problems, and the reason why she needed to be at hospital in the first place. I've stressed this before, but I hope it doest come across as too implausible. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I didn't take biology. **_

_**The closest I get to it is greys anatomy, and that Children's Hospital about Great Ormond Street that used to broadcast on the BBC. **_

_**For those puzzled about the blood transfusion, people with O-type blood can donate to any other blood group, hence why it's used in emergencies. In retrospect, O types, can't receive from an A or B donor though. That much I'm certain of – I'm O-, which means I can only get a blood transfusion from another O-, but I can donate to anyone else. There. That's the only biology I know for certain. -_-;**_

_**Then again, it's 2:30AM her in Britland, so what do I know? My brain is sleep deprived! In any case, I h****ope you guys like this chapter. With any luck I made up for the horrible stagnation this story's been getting lately :) **_

_**BTW! BTW! In a show of shameless self-advertising, I've started a Zutarta story if anyone's intereted, so A:TLA fans, take a peek if you get the chance at all :D**_

___******Quote is from **_******'Two Worlds'**_****** by Phil Collins.**  
Rate&Review ;)_

_**Nat  
xxx**_


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